Qantas has launched its first international Dreamliner flights from Queensland this weekend with a daily service from Brisbane to Los Angeles and onwards to New York.

Four of the national carrier’s new Boeing 787-9s will be based in Brisbane, as the state-of-the-art aircraft gradually replaces the 747 on key routes. Dreamliner services from Brisbane to Hong Kong will start in December, with other destinations to follow.

Qantas Group CEO, Alan Joyce, said the new Dreamliner base was great news for Qantas and Queensland, supporting jobs and driving international tourism to the state.

“We’ll have 120 cabin crew and pilots based in Brisbane to operate the Dreamliner flights and a further 350 indirect jobs are expected to be created as a result,” Joyce said.

“The Dreamliner also opens up the potential to drive tourism to Queensland over the long term given the increased range of the 787. There are a number of new destinations we’re considering for new direct services from Brisbane, including Seattle, Chicago and San Francisco in the US, as well as Vancouver and cities in Asia.

“The arrival of the Dreamliner is really exciting for our customers travelling from Brisbane. We’ve seen record customer satisfaction for the 787 on other parts of our network, from the next generation seats to the anti-jetlag measures.

“I’d like to acknowledge the support of the Queensland Government, Brisbane Airport Corporation and Tourism Australia for helping to make our new Brisbane Dreamliner base possible,” Joyce said.

The launch of the 787s from Brisbane coincides with the announcement that from October, Qantas will offer Queensland-made wine to passengers travelling in its domestic and international Business Class cabins.

Three wines from the Granite Belt based Symphony Hill Wines were selected following the annual three-day blind tasting by Qantas Rockpool Sommeliers, including Cabernet sauvignon, Gewürztraminer and Nero d’avola.

Qantas last week announced its Brisbane International Lounge will be expanded to cater for an additional 100 guests and completed in early 2019 to support the growing demand for premium travel with the arrival of the Dreamliner.