Qantas said it would introduce additional services between Sydney-Canberra and Melbourne-Canberra from March 2008. Qantas Regional General Manager ACT, Allan Williams, said the airline would add fifteen extra return services per week between Sydney and Canberra, bringing the number of return services it offers between the two cities to 157 per week, including 48 jet services.

Qantas will also add 11 extra return services per week between Melbourne and Canberra in March, plus add an extra four return services between the two cities beginning in June 2008. The additional services would take the number of return services between Melbourne and Canberra to 89 services per week, including 65 jet services from July 2008.

Mr Williams said the extra services from both Melbourne and Sydney would use 140-seat Boeing 737-400 aircraft.

"Qantas has expanded its services to Canberra significantly, including recently adding six extra return services per week between Brisbane and Canberra."

Mr Williams said Qantas had also improved the timetable of its Canberra-Perth services. All but one of these daily services now operated as daytime flights, which was a more popular option for business customers.

The increase in services comes shortly after Qantas announced it would undertake a $10 million improvement program at Canberra Airport to offer customers improved facilities, he said.

More services to Hong Kong

Qantas also announced it would increase services between Melbourne and Hong Kong by three flights per week from 1 April 2008.*

The Executive General Manager of Qantas, Mr John Borghetti, said that with the additional services, the airline would operate 10 services per week on the Melbourne-Hong Kong route.

He said the new services would be operated by two-class, 297-seat A330-300 aircraft, offering the award-winning Skybed sleeper seat in Business and audio and video on demand in Business and Economy.

"The new flights will complement our current daily three class B747-400 services on the route, and signal a move towards a double daily Melbourne-Hong Kong service in the future," Mr Borghetti said.

"Hong Kong is an important market for Qantas - both in its own right and as a gateway to China. These new Melbourne services will take to 31 the number of flights Qantas operates to Hong Kong, including double daily flights from Sydney, 10 per week from Melbourne, four from Brisbane and three from Perth."

Mr Borghetti said Qantas had also recently announced two services per week between Melbourne and Shanghai, commencing 11 March 2008.

* subject to government approval