(Reuters) -Australia’s flagship carrier, Qantas Airways Ltd, said on Friday it expects its international capacity to reach about 100% of pre-COVID-19 levels by March 2024, as it plans to add more seats and aircraft to its global network.
The carrier plans to add about 1 million seats to its international network over a 12-month period starting late-October, Qantas said.
The company said it had brought five international aircraft back into its fleet in the past six months and that it would lease two Airbus A330s from Finnair to meet additional capacity.
Qantas swung to a record profit in the first half of this financial year as raging travel demand jacked up fares and earnings.
“The rebound in demand for international travel since borders reopened has been incredibly strong…,” CEO Alan Joyce said in a statement on Friday, while flagging a mismatch between supply and demand for international flying.
The company said it would need about 300 more pilots and cabin crew by the end of the year to support extra flying.
(Reporting by Himanshi Akhand in Bengaluru; Editing by Subhranshu Sahu)
