Qantas reroutes direct Perth to London flight path to avoid Middle East unrest

Qantas has ceased its direct flight from Perth Airport (PER) to London-Heathrow Airport (LHR) due to escalating tensions in the Middle East.

The Australian flag carrier said its 17.5-hour outbound QF9 flight from Perth will now make a stop in Singapore Changi Airport (SIN) to refuel, and take an alternative route to London as a “precaution”.

“We’re making adjustments to some of our flight paths due to the situation in parts of the Middle East as a precaution,” an airline spokesperson told Australian media.

See more

Latest: Australia’s national airline Qantas will avoid Middle East airspace, rerouting its ordinarily direct Perth-London flight away from the region.

Going forward, the PER-LHR flight will operate via Singapore, refuel, & continue a longer flight path that avoids Middle East. pic.twitter.com/ZkFuKilMW3

— Alex Macheras (@AlexInAir) April 13, 2024

Due to prevailing winds, the return flights from London to Perth will still operate directly on a readjusted route.

This is the second time that Qantas has been forced to reroute flights due to tensions in the Middle East. In April 2024, the carrier paused the direct route after Iran declared it would strike Israel for killing a senior Iranian commander in Syria.

The latest announcement follows Iran’s vow to retaliate for the death of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, who was killed by a suspected Israeli airstrike in Tehran on July 31, 2024.

Although Israel has neither confirmed nor denied that it was behind Haniyeh’s killing, it is bracing for a retaliatory attack which could last several days.