Qantas

Qantas Airways Limited is the flag carrier of Australia and, founded in Queensland in 1920 as Queensland and Northern Territory Aerial Services, is one of the oldest continuously operating airlines in the world. It began as a small outback mail and passenger service linking remote communities in the Australian interior and grew through the twentieth century into an international carrier, pioneering long-distance routes between Australia, Europe, North America and Asia.

The airline's primary hub is Sydney Kingsford Smith Airport, with significant operations at Melbourne and Brisbane and a growing Perth gateway that hosts its nonstop services to London. Qantas operates a diverse mainline fleet built around the Airbus A330, Airbus A380 and Boeing 737, alongside Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners used for ultra-long-haul flying. Its regional subsidiary QantasLink serves domestic destinations, while Jetstar provides low-cost services within Australia and across the Asia-Pacific. The group also operates dedicated freighter aircraft for Qantas Freight.

Qantas has been a member of the Oneworld alliance since helping to found it in 1999, offering customers reciprocal benefits with carriers such as British Airways, Cathay Pacific, American Airlines and Japan Airlines. Its Qantas Frequent Flyer programme is among the largest loyalty schemes in the Southern Hemisphere, with extensive partnerships across retail, finance and travel. The airline is also progressing Project Sunrise, an initiative intended to launch nonstop commercial flights from the Australian east coast to London and New York using specially configured Airbus A350-1000 aircraft.

Qantas is widely recognised for a strong safety record and distinctive service identity, though in recent years it has faced public scrutiny over pricing, customer service standards and industrial relations as it rebuilds following the global pandemic.