Qantas reroutes Perth-London Non Stop Flight via Singapore in 2026
Qantas changed its Perth-London non stop flight in 2026, sending the Europe-bound leg through Singapore on QF209 after Middle East airspace closures added up to 45 minutes. The airline said the rerouting let it carry more than 60 additional passengers per flight, while the journey stretched to more than 20 hours.
QF9 and QF10 route
The Perth-London service had operated nonstop since March 25, 2018, when Qantas became the first airline to start direct flights between Australia and Europe. The route uses QF9 and QF10 and a 236-seat Boeing 787-9, with 42 business seats, 28 premium economy seats and 166 economy seats.
That aircraft was being pushed close to its published range. The Perth-London sector covers more than 9,000 miles, or 14.484 km, while Boeing lists the 787-9 range at 8,705 miles, or 14.010 km. Qantas had already used Singapore rerouting twice for a short period in 2024 for similar reasons.
Singapore Changi Airport
Qantas said the Singapore routing changes the seat math on the long-haul leg. Analytic Flying, using data from the Australian Bureau of Infrastructure and Transport Research Economics, found westbound seat capacity averaged 219 seats per flight between October 2024 and September 2025, with 16 empty seats on average. The eastbound return from London had only one seat empty on average in that period.
The new routing gives the airline room to carry more than 60 additional passengers per flight because the stop in Singapore reduces weight restrictions. That tradeoff replaces the nonstop operation with a longer itinerary, but it also changes how many passengers can be carried on a route that had been operating near the 787-9’s limit.
Perth and London
Qantas launched a seasonal Perth-Rome route after London in 2018, but the Perth-London service remained the carrier’s headline direct link between Australia and Europe. With the Singapore stop now in place, passengers booked on the Europe-bound leg face a different routing on a service that had been promoted as nonstop for years.
