Qantas’s direct flight between Perth, Australia, and London, UK, has temporarily added a layover in Singapore from 4 March. The 17-and-a-half-hour direct flight now has to stop in Singapore for refuelling due to adjusted flight paths caused by the evolving Middle East conflict.
The flight has been split into two sectors: Perth–Singapore and Singapore–London. The additional stop extends the total journey by about three hours. The direct Perth to London service was launched in 2018.
The stopover, implemented from 3 March, also allows the airline to accommodate up to 60 additional passengers and their luggage. Operationally the change allows the Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner to carry its normal passenger and freight payload; a longer detour around the Gulf would have forced painful weight restrictions.
Qantas said that the safety of customers and crew is its highest priority, leading to necessary flight path adjustments. The Middle East conflict has led to widespread travel disruption, stranding thousands of Britons and prompting Qantas to offer booking flexibility for affected customers.
Travel buyers said that return business-class fares for March departures have already risen above A$14,000 or about US$7,000 as displaced demand spills onto the “classic” Kangaroo Route via Singapore.
Qantas is automatically re-booking passengers and offering fee-free changes or refunds, but—because the trigger was a security event outside the airline’s control—it is not obliged to pay statutory compensation. Travellers with onward connections are being advised to reconfirm minimum connection times at slot-constrained Heathrow and to check Singapore’s strict transit rules on vaping devices and controlled medicines.
The airline has not provided a timeline for resuming the nonstop. Analysts note that if Middle East volatility persists it could influence fleet planning for Project Sunrise, the 2026-launch Airbus A350-1000 programme designed to fly Sydney–London nonstop. Planners are already modelling an optional technical stop in Asia as a contingency – evidence that geopolitics, not just aircraft range, is reshaping one of the world’s most important corporate travel corridors.
Photo source: Qantas
