Qantas launches Sydney to Las Vegas flights following record profits
February 26, 2026
Australian airline Qantas has announced that it will begin direct Sydney to Las Vegas flights later this year as the carrier expands its North American network.
The announcement came as the company revealed an impressive set of financial figures for the first half of the year, with strong demand and fleet expansion driving growth at the carrier.
Qantas announces it is heading to Las Vegas from December
On 26 February, Australian carrier Qantas announced it would become the first airline to operate a non-stop scheduled route between Australia and Las Vegas.
According to an airline statement, the carrier’s new seasonal flights from Sydney Kingsford Smith International Airport (SYD) to Las Vegas’ Harry Reid International Airport (LAS) will begin on 29 December and will run through until 12 March 2027.
The flights will operate three times weekly and will be operated by the airline’s 14-strong fleet of Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners, which each seat 236 passengers across three classes.
The airline states that offering direct flights between Sydney and the city in Nevada would save up to five hours in travel time by eliminating the need for connections through another US city, such as Los Angeles or San Francisco.
With Las Vegas joining the carrier’s network, the city will become the company’s 101st destination and the airline’s eighth city across North and South America, joining Los Angeles, San Francisco, Honolulu, Dallas, New York, Vancouver and Santiago.
Not the first time Qantas has been to Las Vegas
For the past two years, the airline has operated charter flights between Australia and Las Vegas in partnership with Australia’s National Rugby League (NRL). The US city hosts the NRL’s annual season kick-off event at the Las Vegas Festival, which has quickly become a flagship event for Australian and international sports fans.
According to the carrier, the 2026 series of charter flights took off this week and, for the third year in a row, are fully booked. However, this will be the first time that the cities have been linked by scheduled passenger services.
Qantas International CEO Cam Wallace said that strong customer demand for international travel is driving the airline’s expansion of seasonal services to destinations like Las Vegas.
In the past, the airline has operated seasonal services to both Rome (Italy) and Sapporo (Japan) and is seeking to capitalise on demand for travel during the southern hemisphere’s peak summer season and extended school holiday period.
Wallace also attributed the commencement of flights to Las Vegas as a result of the capabilities of the airline’s Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners, which offer a range of 8,500 nautical miles (15.700 km).
According to Great Circle Mapper, the sector length between Sydney and Las Vegas is 7,720 miles (14,300 km). He said that the type opened up new route possibilities for the carrier that had not existed before.
Las Vegas is a strong travel market for Australians
Las Vegas represents a significant overseas destination for Australian travellers, with more than 250,000 Australians visiting the region annually. According to Steve Hill, President and CEO of the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, Australia ranks as the city’s second-largest overseas market and top international market without existing non-stop service.
Qantas added that the route also aims to boost American tourism to Australia, building on growing travel between the two countries. Australia’s Trade and Tourism Minister Don Farrell noted that 745,000 Americans visited Australia last year, making the US a key source market for inbound tourism.
The service will operate as flight QF55, departing Sydney at 21:00 local time and arriving in Las Vegas at 15:55 local time after a flight time of approximately 13 hours and 55 minutes. Outbound flights from Sydney will operate on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays.
A daylight arrival time in Las Vegas allows travellers to reach their hotels and settle in before heading out to Las Vegas’ famous strip for the evening or to head to the plethora of evening entertainments that the city offers to visitors.
Qantas records huge half-yearly profits for 1H26
The Las Vegas route announcement came the same day as Qantas revealed its latest set of financial results for the first half of its 2026 fiscal year (1H26), which ended on 1 December 2025.
The airline said it made headline profits before tax of AUD1.46 billion ($1.04 billion) for the period, representing a rise of AUD71 million. Meanwhile, profits after tax equated to AUD$925 million ($658 million) – a small rise of AUD2 million over the same period over the same period last year.
Qantas Group CEO Vanessa Hudson put this impressive performance on fleet expansion and organic growth within the airline, fuelled by soaring travel demand across the Qantas Group network.
She said that the strong financial performance will help to accelerate the airline’s fleet renewal plans, which saw six new aircraft join the carrier’s fleet in the first half of the year alone. Hudson added that a further 30 new aircraft will join the Group fleet (consisting of Qantas and budget airline Jetstar) over the next 18 months.
“These new aircraft are not only improving the experience for our customers and opening up new opportunities for our people, but they are also helping drive our financial performance,” she said.
“Some of these new aircraft will replace older aircraft, while some will support growth by opening up new routes, like the ultra-long range A350s which will operate Project Sunrise flights.
Despite the financial successes of 1H26, Hudson warned that sharp increases in certain costs like airport charges and Government fees will continue to challenge the airline. She pointed out that some fees have increased at double the rate of inflation over the past 12 months.
Hudson said that the airline was working towards offsetting these cost increases where possible through “transformation processes within the Qantas Group” so that these cost increases do not impact the ongoing affordability of air travel in Australia.
Featured image: Qantas
