Qantas has cut its plans to start seasonal flights to South Korea, while it will not proceed with a proposed seventh weekly service on the Sydney-Johannesburg route, according to a filing with the International Air Services Commission.
The filing was an application for the extension of a number of determinations which granted capacity to the airline on a number of routes, including the Hong Kong, Netherlands and Vanuatu routes, most of which are unchanged.
However, the airline says that it is not seeking the renewal of a determination made in 2005 allocating it 687 seats per week to operate services to South Korea between December and February, as “in light of current market conditions, Qantas does not intend to make use of this allocation for the foreseeable future.”
Qantas also indicated in a request to renew its allocation on the South Africa route that plans to commence a seventh weekly service on the Sydney-Johannesburg route have now been deferred due to the global financial crisis. Nevertheless, the airline notes that it has been granted an extension on the deadline for it to operate the seventh service, raising the prospect that it may do so in the near future.
Pacific Blue also lodged an application to renew its capacity allocations on the Tonga and Cook Islands routes. On the Tonga route, Pac Blue currently operates 360 seats out of an allocation of 540, but says that it intends to increase services once the market recovers to the full 540 seats. Pac Blue also has an allocation of 540 seats on the Cook Islands route, which is being operated to capacity and has sought a renewal at the same level of capacity.
