Qantas Airways Ltd expects to reach more than 115 per cent of pre-COVID domestic capacity levels by April as Australian state borders open, Chief Executive Alan Joyce said on Tuesday, "We are seeing huge demand when borders are open," he said at a CAPA Centre for aviation event. In the Queensland market alone, we have seen a surge in 24 hours. Queensland brought forward the opening of its domestic borders to Dec 13, from a previous estimate of Dec 17.
The premium Qantas brand should reach 115 per cent of pre-COVID domestic capacity by April, while Jetstar's low-cost offshoot should reach 120 per cent of pre-COVID domestic capacity, Joyce said.
He said the airline would decide on a preferred supplier by the end of the year for more than 100 planes to replace its ageing domestic fleet by the end of the year.
It will take a long time to recover to pre-COVID levels in the international market, but Qantas will bring back some of its A 380 super-jumbo planes for flights from Sydney to London and New York in July.
Joyce said that although there was some decline in international business travel, his airline relied on leisure travellers for 60 per cent of premium revenue, large companies for 20 per cent and small and medium businesses for 20 per cent.