The Andrews Labor Government has secured a historic new Qantas 787-9 Dreamliner direct service between Melbourne and Los Angeles.
Minister for Tourism and Major Events John Eren joined Qantas International Chief Executive Gareth Evans at Port Melbourne’s Boeing Aerostructures Australia today, where parts of the 787’s wings are manufactured.
Passengers flying between Melbourne and Los Angeles will be the first to experience the state-of-the-art Dreamliner when the six-times-a-week service begins next year. It complements a daily service that Qantas already operates between Melbourne and Los Angeles and represents an increase of about 1400 seats.
The new service will give visitors from the USA an added chance to experience for themselves the wonders of Victoria, boosting tourism and creating jobs for locals.
Melbourne Airport is now home to 31 international airlines – and that means more visitors from right around the world can come here and see for themselves the best of everything Victoria offers.
Since we came to Government in 2014, we’ve secured an additional 173,000 seats for Victoria. That’s an estimated economic impact of between $386 million and $575 million.
Fares for the new Qantas 787-9 Dreamliner service will be on sale Christmas Day.
Quotes attributable to Minister for Tourism and Major Events John Eren
“This is an historic moment that Victoria is delighted to be a part of. The Dreamliner is a superb aircraft that will offer passengers an in-flight experience like no other.”
“More direct flights to the USA means more visitors to Victoria from right around the world. That’s a big boost for our tourism industry and jobs for locals.”
Quotes attributable to Minister for Industry and Employment Wade Noonan
“Victoria already manufactures parts for the cutting-edge Dreamliner and we are proud to see our relationship with Qantas strengthened through direct flights.”
“We have a strong airline manufacturing history and with the Labor Government’s support we want to continue finding new opportunities for the industry to grow.”
Reviewed 19 August 2020