International airline reveals flight plans for Brisbane as Qantas suspends routes
A major airline will increase its Brisbane services over the coming months as the nation’s top carrier suspends some flights to popular Queensland tourism destinations.
Malaysia Airlines will operate six Brisbane flights per week from August 16, before increasing to daily services from October 25, building on the success of resumed Brisbane routes since November last year. The airline currently operates five weekly non-stop services.
It comes as Australia’s top airline Qantas has flagged pricier airfares and fewer domestic routes as rising fuel prices due to the ongoing conflict in the Middle East could cause an $800 million hit to the airline’s fuel bill.
Yesterday, Qantas announced it would temporarily suspend two routes into Queensland, including its Hamilton Island to Melbourne route (from May 18 to June 29) and its Darwin to Gold Coast route (from May 18 to October 12).
Meanwhile, Malaysia Airlines will begin deployment of its latest-generation A330neo aircraft on the Brisbane route.
The additional services will also strengthen Kuala Lumpur’s role as a key regional gateway for Australia by providing easy access to Southeast Asia, Europe, India and beyond.
Malaysia Airlines will also resume services to Fukuoka in Japan and additional services to key Chinese cities, including Shenzhen and Changsha.
Brisbane Airport CEO Gert-Jan de Graaff said the news reflected the strength of Queensland’s international market despite uncertainty regarding ongoing conflicts in the Middle East.
“Airlines are making strategic decisions about where to place capacity and Malaysia Airlines increasing Brisbane flights so soon after launch shows the confidence in our market,” de Graaff said.
“Brisbane continues to gain momentum as a resilient and fast-growing hub, and these additional services capitalise on the strong demand for travel by Queenslanders and visitors coming to explore Brisbane and beyond.”
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Malaysia Aviation Group’s airline business CEO Bryan Foong said the network expansion was guided by a focus on commercial sustainability and long-term value creation.
“Since the resumption of direct services between Kuala Lumpur and Brisbane, we have seen encouraging performance, with load factors averaging close to 90 per cent, positioning Brisbane as one of our standout routes in the region,” Foong said.
He said the capacity increase, alongside deployment of the A330neo aircraft, reflected the continued efforts to strengthen connectivity while enhancing travel experiences.
Brisbane Airport is now connected to 35 international destinations and welcomed a record 25 million passengers in 2025.
The airport is currently investing $5 billion across the precinct as part of its Future BNE transformation over the next five years.
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