Qantas’s upcoming 17-hour Perth-London “Kangaroo Route” flights have shone the spotlight on the Western Australia capital in recent months, with Perth looking set to become an increasingly major transit hub for travel between Australian and international destinations.
That now looks to expand even more with a new integrated domestic and international passenger hub that is to begin construction at Perth Airport. The new area is aimed at providing smoother connections and improved facilities at the Western Australia airport and will include a new international wing and a Qantas International Transit Lounge.
“Perth will become the western hub for our international services to the United Kingdom and potentially other European destinations in the future,” said Alan Joyce, Qantas Group CEO. According to Joyce, all of Qantas’s domestic flights along with its services to Singapore, Auckland and London will operate from the new facility.
“Combining all of our operations under one roof means customers can transfer from domestic to international services without changing terminals. The new design allows for an outdoor space and natural sunlight, which is something we know our customers will value ahead of a long-haul flight.”
Among the new facilities at the integrated hub will be an international wing located within the airport’s existing T3/T4 area. The wing will offer an outdoor deck space with alfresco seating along with a customs and immigration area. New F&B outlets along with a Duty Free store are also planned to open.
Meanwhile, Qantas is also set to build a new International Transit Lounge at the hub, specifically designed with transit passengers on its QF9 and QF10 flights going between Melbourne and London in mind. Qantas has confirmed the new lounge will offer in excess of a dozen shower suites along with a wellness facility, while the lounge’s outdoor patio will feature a grill offering Australian barbeque dishes.
The design of the new transit lounge has been developed by Sumu Design and Australian industrial designer David Caon – the lead designer behind Qantas’s B787-9 Dreamliner interiors. Architecture firm Noxon Giffen has been responsible for the redesign of the T3/T4 precinct.
Expected to be completed by March 2018 in time for Qantas’s upcoming Perth-London flights, the new area is already undergoing preparatory works.
By 2025, Qantas aims to move its operations to an expanded Terminal 1 at Perth Airport. The Terminal 1 Qantas Club will continue to operate for travellers flying internationally on partner airlines.
The new Perth transit lounge is one of a number of new and enhanced spaces the airline has been developing at airports across Australia. In March, Qantas opened its Domestic Business Lounge at Brisbane Airport, which followed the October 2016 launch of its revamped International Lounge.
