Qantas’ inaugural A380 flight from Sydney to Johannesburg touched down on Monday, September 30, marking a significant milestone in the growth of arrivals from the Australian market.

Flying five times per week, the flight will expand Qantas’ capacity between the two cities by 130 000 seats per year, bringing total capacity to 280 000 seats.

The A380 has capacity for 485 passengers across four cabins, with the introduction of the superjumbo seeing a return of First Class on the route for the first time since 2018.

The upgauge will also more than double the number of Premium Economy seats available between the cities.

On Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays, flight QF63 departs Sydney at 09h30 and arrives in Johannesburg at 14h45.

On the same days, the return flight QF64 departs Johannesburg at 18h40 and arrives in Sydney at 14h35 the following day.

Qantas inks partnership with Airlink

The significant increase in capacity comes as Qantas announced a new codeshare partnership with Airlink, expanding the Australian carrier’s domestic access in South Africa.  

Qantas will add the QF code on Airlink’s domestic network, enabling seamless connectivity between Qantas's flights to Johannesburg and Airlink's nine South African destinations.

The carrier plans to add Airlink's regional destinations over the coming months, pending regulatory approval.

“This extra capacity, combined with our new codeshare with Airlink, will significantly expand the options for Qantas customers heading to Africa, strengthening the connections between family and friends, business and trade as well as supporting the tourism industry on both sides of the Indian Ocean,” said Qantas International CEO Cam Wallace.