Airlines Asia Airports Australia-New Zealand Australia-New Zealand Aviation News

Qantas Launches Sydney Seoul Flight after 15 Years of Absence

Just as was the case for flights to Rome, Qantas is bringing back to its network a destination it hasn’t served in over 15 years. The rapid growth of passenger numbers is a great opportunity for airlines to change the pre-pandemic status quo. With this in mind the Australian flag carrier is bringing back direct flights between Sydney and Seoul, South Korea. Let’s find out what the news is all about.

The Return of Qantas QF87 Sydney to Seoul

This is a route which is quite dear to me as it connects two cities that have a special place in my heart. Sydney is home to part of my family, while Seoul is home to part of my wife’s family. So I’m quite excited to see Qantas return to this market.

Shifting focus back to the flight itself, Qantas’ operation will complement its low cost subsidiary’s (Jetstar) schedule. Jetstar at the moment already flies from Sydney to Seoul with a frequency of 3 flights per week.

The new QF87 flight will increase options to choose from for travellers along with allowing to choose between a full service or a budget airline.

The flight Qantas flight will have a 4 time weekly frequency during peak demand season, the Australian summer season, and 3 times weekly from May to October. Specifically here is how QF87 will operate.

FlightFromToDepartsArrivesACDays
QF87Sydney
(SYD)
Seoul-Incheon
(ICN)
09:3518:20A330-300Tue,Thu,Sat,Sun
QF88Seoul-Incheon
(ICN)
Sydney
(SYD)
19:5008:15+1A330-300Tue,Thu,Sat,Sun

The Qantas flight will depart Sydney’s Kingsford Smith International Terminal and arrive at Seoul’s Incheon International airport at terminal 1. Terminal 2 being reserved to only SkyTeam operators.

Qantas Airbus A330-300 on Takeoff for flight QF87 Sydney to Seoul

The Aircraft For Flight QF87

The flight is quite a long one, clocking just around the 11 hour mark and flying over quite a long stretch of the Pacific Ocean. The Australian airline has chosen to operate this route with one of its 9 Airbus A330-300 aircraft.

These are the older long range planes in the Qantas fleet, having an average age of 15 years. Looking at the cabin layout, the Qantas A330-300 features a 2 class configuration with:

Special Menu Items

To cater to the preferences of prospective Korean clients the Aussie carrier has introduced on this flight some typical Korean dishes. Specific to this sector will be dishes as:

  • Beef bulgogi (a Korean stir fried dish)
  • Bibimbap (a rice based dish)
  • Banchan (a series of small side dishes to accompany the main dish)