Qantas, Vietnam Airlines, SWISS and Vietjet Add Long-Haul Capacity

Qantas will add almost 30,000 seats between Australia and South Africa with a new seasonal Sydney–Cape Town non-stop, launching October 19, 2027 and running to March 24, 2028. The service operates three times weekly — Tuesdays, Fridays and Sundays — on Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner aircraft, and complements Qantas' existing non-stop flights from Perth and Sydney to Johannesburg, deepening its footprint between the two countries.

For sellers of travel, the route opens a second South African gateway from Australia's east coast, where connections through Johannesburg previously carried most of the traffic. The takeaway: nearly 30,000 incremental seats on a seasonal Australia–South Africa corridor by early 2028.

What is Vietnam Airlines adding in India?

Vietnam Airlines began direct flights between Ahmedabad and Hanoi on November 3, 2026, marking its entry into Gujarat and making Ahmedabad its fifth destination in India. The service runs four times weekly on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays, connecting Gujarat to the carrier's domestic and international network via Hanoi.

The move signals Vietnam Airlines' continued push into one of Asia's fastest-growing outbound markets. Ahmedabad becomes a distribution point for Vietnam-bound traffic from western India, not just the metro gateways of Delhi and Mumbai.

What changes on SWISS' Mumbai route?

Swiss International Air Lines will deploy Airbus A350-900 aircraft on its Zurich–Mumbai route from December 15, 2026, bringing its SWISS Senses cabin product to India for the first time. The aircraft will operate daily until January 3, 2027, before dropping to six weekly flights from January 4; SWISS will continue serving Mumbai daily, using other aircraft for the remaining frequency.

The A350 deployment is planned for the 2026/27 winter schedule and replaces Airbus A330 aircraft on selected services. The aircraft features redesigned cabins and updated inflight entertainment systems — a premium-product upgrade aimed squarely at the India–Europe business and leisure segments.

How far is Vietjet stretching its network?

Vietjet will operate four new international routes connecting Vietnam with Japan, Indonesia, Sri Lanka and the Maldives between December 2026 and February 2027:

• Danang–Osaka and Danang–Jakarta, both launching December 20, 2026, four times weekly on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays; the Osaka service uses Airbus A321 aircraft.
• Hanoi–Colombo and Hanoi–Maldives via Colombo, both from February 9, 2027, operating three times weekly.

The routes expand Vietjet's Asian network and complement its existing Ho Chi Minh City–Colombo service and planned Ho Chi Minh City–Maldives flights via Colombo.

Vietjet is not a marginal player in the Japan market: it currently operates 138 flights weekly between Vietnam and Japan, serving six Japanese cities through its scheduled network alongside charter services to other destinations. The Danang–Osaka route adds a second Vietnamese hub to that Japan capacity.

Why do these moves matter for distribution?

Taken together, the four announcements add capacity and product across corridors that sellers can book into 2027 itineraries: Australia–South Africa, India–Vietnam, India–Switzerland and Vietnam's widening network into Japan, Indonesia, Sri Lanka and the Maldives. Each launch comes with fixed frequencies and start dates, giving agents and operators concrete inventory to price against. The pipeline now runs from Ahmedabad's first Vietnam Airlines service to Qantas' Cape Town debut in October 2027.