dailynewsnblog
Australian flag carrier Qantas has announced its latest plans to establish an overseas crew base in Singapore. The is set to open from September 2026, and marks the airline’s commitment to the most popular destination in its network outside of Australia. Qantas currently operates non-stop flights to Singapore from most major Australian cities with both narrowbody and widebody aircraft.
As reported by Aerotime, the airline will look to recruit 120 cabin crew members in the first 12 months of operations. It is likely that many who previously worked for the carrier’s low-cost Singaporean-based airline, Jetstar, which shuttered operations last year, will be invited to reapply with the parent carrier.
Committed To Singapore
Expanding to a total of 650 staff within the first five years, those who are Singapore citizens or permanent residents will be the only crew members who are eligible to apply. The advertisements for these roles were published on February 27. Qantas has decided to establish a Singapore crew base to ensure more efficient operations across its international network, given that the airline has non-stop flights from Melbourne, Sydney, Perth, Brisbane, and Darwin.
A total of 50 weekly flights operate between Australia and Singapore with Qantas, with a mix of aircraft types from the Boeing 737-800 (Darwin to Singapore), up to the Airbus A380-800 (Sydney to Singapore). The airline also utilizes Singapore as a stopover for its double-decker services that operate Sydney – Singapore – 
London Heathrow.
The local crew base in Singapore will support the airlines’ quicker response times when there are flight disruptions, being able to call on additional crew members where required. This crew is expected to be deployed on routes to and from Australia and the United Kingdom.
Largest Overseas Hub
As previously mentioned, Singapore remains the most popular destination in the Qantas network outside of Australia. Later this year, Qantas has already confirmed that it would double its Airbus A380 deployment on routes to Sydney, increasing premium seat capacity across 13 weekly services, representing a premium seat capacity increase of almost 20%.
Those who had been made redundant due to the closure of Jetstar Asia Airways will see Singapore-based crew members be able to reapply with the carrier. Around 50 Singapore-based crew have already been offered positions, and now see the airline be able to consolidate its crew operations at SIN under one premium brand.
This decision comes after broader employment strategies that will see the red-tailed airline expand its workforce by more than 8,500 staff by the end of the decade, including new and expanded domestic and international routes, and a new Jetstar crew base set to open in Western Australia ( Perth) by the end of the year.
Qantas Overhauls Airbus A380 Network: 2 Major Route Changes Revealed
Melbourne will no longer see the type, while there’s a big addition elsewhere…
A Big Week Of News For QF
A new crew base in Singapore continues an already successful week of route announcements and financial results. The airline announced on February 26 that it reported a 5% increse in profit before tax to $1.46 billion, with domestic and loyalty segments being a major factor in the airline’s success.
Qantas’ widely versatile Airbus A321XLR will fly its first international route between Brisbane International Airport (BNE) and Manila Ninoy Aquino International Airport (MNL) in the Philippines daily from 25 October, replacing the current Airbus A330 deployed on the route. Domestically, Qantas also plans to introduce the A321XLR on trans-continental services between Brisbane and Perth, complementing the current flights offered with the aircraft type from Sydney to Brisbane, Melbourne, and Perth.
The airline also announced that it would become the first airline ever to operate scheduled non-stop services between Australia and Las Vegas, with the Boeing 787-9 scheduled to fly between 
Sydney Kingsford Smith Airport (SYD) and Las Vegas 
Harry Reid International Airport (LAS) from December through to March. Qantas has previously operated the route to Las Vegas for charters supporting NRL games hosted in Sin City.
