Qantas plans to include an outdoor area as part of its new Perth Airport premium passenger lounge to be completed in time for the start of nonstop flights to London Heathrow.
The facility will be located at Qantas’s Terminal 3/4 precinct on the western side of the airfield, which is being upgraded to handle both domestic and international flights by March 2018, allowing transit passengers to have a same-terminal connection for the nonstop Perth-London flight.
Qantas released artist impressions of the new lounge on its website on Tuesday, showing an outdoor area featuring bar and bench seating, a BBQ grill and green wall.
Further, the airline said the lounge would have shower facilities, a “wellness facility” and has been designed for plenty of natural light.
“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,” Qantas chief executive Alan Joyce said in a statement.
In December 2016, Qantas reached an “in-principal agreement” with Perth Airport to move all of its domestic and international services to a new terminal on the eastern side of the airfield by 31 December 2025, as part of a deal to upgrade Terminal 3 for international service.
In the interim, the West Australian government was contributing $14 million towards the cost of reconfiguring Terminal 3 with customs and border processing facilities, as well as additional food and beverage outlets and duty free shopping, to facilitate the start of the Perth-London Heathrow nonstop service in 2018.
The oneworld alliance member’s other international flights from Perth to Singapore and Auckland will also be moved to the Terminal 3/4 precinct in 2018.
“Perth will become the western hub for our international services to the United Kingdom and potentially other European destinations in the future,” Joyce said.
“Combining all of our operations under one roof means customers can transfer from domestic to international services without changing terminals.”
Qantas said the new international transit lounge design was a collaboration between SUMU Design and Australian industrial designer David Caon, who is working with Qantas on the 787-9 interiors.
Meanwhile, the redesign of the Terminal 3 and Terminal 4 precinct was created by architecture firm Noxon Giffen.
