Qantas is adding a new seasonal service between Sydney and Cape Town in South Africa for the first time, with flights taking off in October 2027.

Together with Qantas’ existing direct services from Perth and Sydney to Johannesburg, the new route will give customers more choice when travelling between Australia and South Africa, according to Qantas International CEO Cam Wallace.

He said once launched, it will add almost 30,000 seats between Australia and South Africa and is made possible by the introduction of new Qantas Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner aircraft arriving in late 2027.

“Cape Town is a true bucket-list city and Australia’s appetite to visit has never been stronger,” Wallace said.

“Each year, tens of thousands of customers use our existing Johannesburg services to connect to Cape Town through our partner airlines Airlink, so we know there’s strong demand for a non-stop service.”

The new route comes 75 years after Qantas operated its first scheduled passenger service to South Africa. In 1952, the Wallaby Route to Johannesburg took 66 hours via Perth, the Cocos Islands and Mauritius, and next November, customers will be able to leave Sydney in the morning and land in Cape Town the same day.

“The arrival of our new 787s as part of our historic fleet renewal gives us the flexibility to grow our international network in places we know our customers want to travel, while also creating new opportunities for our people,” Wallace said.

The route will operate on a Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner three times per week on Tuesdays, Fridays, and Sundays and Economy return fares start from AUD$2,470.