Qantas-Emirates partnership changes shape as a restructured Qantas reasserts itself

The Qantas Group defied gravity by successfully restructuring, reducing its cost base and making it much more competitive. Qantas perhaps even surprised itself, and is digesting the new opportunities made available through efficiency and cost gains. This extends to the most significant development in Qantas' recent partnership history: the one with Emirates. It was the ability to combine with Emirates on west-facing services that enabled Qantas to rationalise its international operations.

Qantas' next development - nonstop flying to London and the development of a western Australian hub in Perth - now opens up a new range of options for the future.

Qantas' Mar-2018 launch of nonstop Perth-London flights will occur outside its JV with Emirates. Qantas is also evaluating next generation aircraft to fly nonstop from Sydney to London, which could also be outside the Emirates JV.

Qantas will also replace Emirates' capacity between Sydney and Auckland, as Emirates withdraws from the route following introduction of its nonstop Auckland-Dubai service. It is always important to keep options open as the world changes.