Qantas announces new direct Cape Town–Sydney service

Key information:

• Cape Town (CPT) to Sydney (SYD) will operate as QF90, with the inaugural flight departing on 19 October 2027 and operating until 25 March 2028*.
• The route will operate on a Boeing 787 Dreamliner 3 times per week on Tuesdays, Fridays, and Sundays.
• QF90 is scheduled to depart Cape Town at 16:40 and arrive in Sydney at 13:45+1day
• Economy return fares start from ZAR20,499.

On sale today, the seasonal service will operate through Sydney’s summer period until March 2028 on a Boeing 787 Dreamliner. Together with Qantas’ existing direct services from Johannesburg to Perth and Sydney, the new route will give South African customers more choice when travelling to Australia and enable more onward access across Qantas’ domestic network to cities including Melbourne and Brisbane, as well as across the Tasman to New Zealand.

Once launched, it will add almost 30,000 seats between South Africa and Australia and is made possible by the introduction of new Qantas 787-9 Dreamliner aircraft arriving in late 2027 as part of the largest fleet renewal in the airline's history.

The route will help bring families and friends closer together, with more than 224,000** South African-born people calling Australia home, making it the country’s seventh-largest migrant community.

It comes 75 years after the airline operated its first scheduled passenger service to South Africa. In 1952, the Wallaby Route to Johannesburg took 66 hours via Perth, the Cocos Islands and Mauritius.

Comments from Qantas International CEO Cam Wallace:

“Cape Town is one of the world’s great cities and Australia’s appetite to visit has never been stronger. Our new direct flights from Sydney to Cape Town will make it easier for more Australians to experience everything the Western Cape has to offer, bringing more visitors directly into the region and supporting its tourism economy.

“At the same time, South Africans will have a new seamless way to travel to Australia, whether that’s to visit family and friends, explore the country or connect onwards through our domestic network. The timing also couldn’t be better with the Rugby World Cup in Australia taking place just as our flights begin, giving Springboks fans a new direct way to travel to Sydney for the biggest games of the tournament.”

Comments from Wesgro CEO Wrenelle Stander:

“Direct air access is one of the most important drivers of tourism growth, which is why the launch of the new Sydney-Cape Town service is such a significant development for the Western Cape.

“Australia is an important and growing tourism market for our destination and this route will unlock new opportunities for tourism, trade, investment and business exchange, while making it easier than ever for Australian travellers to visit our region.

“It will also support job creation and help grow the visitor economy across the Western Cape, further cementing Cape Town and the Western Cape’s position as a leading gateway to Africa and a destination that is open for business.”

*Fares based on travel during low season and are subject to availability at time of booking
**Subject to government and regulatory approval.
***Department of Home Affairs South Africa Country Profile