Paul Phelan/CAIRNS
AUSTRALIA HAS AGREED to several capacity increases on international routes, which will enable carriers to step up the number of services operated.
South Africa and Australia have lifted capacity restrictions and approved codeshare arrangements between the two countries. This will enable a fourth weekly service to be initiated immediately by Qantas and South African Airways, and a fifth from April 1997. Qantas will introduce its fourth weekly service to Johannesburg as soon as possible. The agreement also provides for each carrier, to operate one dedicated freighter a week. The South African carrier may now fly freighter services to Melbourne, in addition to the existing points of Sydney and Perth.
The arrangements provide for the strong growth, averaging 38% annually, on the Australia-South Africa route since direct services restarted in 1992. In the year ending May 1996, the South African market represented about 1,100 passengers each way, each week.
Australia's International Air Services Commission has also cleared Qantas and Ansett for additional capacity to South Korea, and for Ansett to fly more services to Indonesia. Australia-South Korea traffic grew by 33% in the year ended 31 May, and the new Qantas capacity will enable it to replace its Boeing 747SPs, used on three of its five weekly flights, with 747-200s. Ansett's new capacity will allow it to introduce a third weekly service, with 747-300s, from November.
Additional capacity to Indonesia will allow Ansett to add a further seven 767-300 services a week between Australia and Indonesia from March 1997. Three of these new services will be between Sydney and Jakarta, bringing Ansett's frequency, on this route to a daily service. The other four new services will be operated to Jakarta from Brisbane and Perth.
Source: Flight International
