Qantas has extended its domestic flight cuts for another three months and doubled down on Europe as Middle East conflict sends jet fuel costs soaring. 

Early this month, Qantas announced domestic capacity cuts of five per cent and suspended four routes amid a fuel cost blowout that could add up to $800 million to the group’s bills. The cuts were originally planned to run from May to June.  

Now, the airline is extending its capacity reductions until the end of September 2026, continuing to shift more flights to Europe until October in response to rising fuel costs sparked by the Iran conflict. 

The cuts hit both the Qantas mainline and budget subsidiary Jetstar, with four routes temporarily suspended and frequency reductions rolling across the broader network from 18 May.  

Which routes are affected?

Qantas spokesperson Stephanie Maguire told Australian Traveller the reductions are spread across the network, but the big trunk routes between capital cities bear the brunt of the cuts.

“The majority of the capacity reductions come from the key trunk routes – between major capital cities – where we fly larger aircraft and generally have higher frequencies, though the reductions are across the board, including regional routes," Maguire said.

Four routes have been fully suspended for now:

Qantas:

• Melbourne–Hamilton Island: suspended 18 May to July 2026
• Melbourne–Coffs Harbour: suspended 18 May to July 2026 

Jetstar:

• Sydney–Busselton: suspended 18 May to 22 September 2026
• Darwin–Gold Coast: suspended 18 May to 12 October 2026

Maguire said the airline had tried to soften the impact where possible. “Where possible, we’ve taken capacity out at off-peak times to help minimise the impact on customers."

One Qantas route cut indefinitely

Beyond the temporary suspensions, one route has been axed entirely. Qantas has indefinitely suspended its Adelaide–Mount Gambier service from 18 May.

“While the recent increase in fuel prices has made the situation more difficult, we have seen sustained declining demand, meaning the route is no longer viable for us to continue operating. Many recent flights have operated less than 20 per cent full," Maguire said

Mount Gambier residents won’t be stranded, though – the route continues to be serviced by Rex Airlines.

Why is this happening?

Jet fuel prices have “more than doubled and remain highly volatile" since Qantas issued its first-half financial results. Qantas has covered roughly 90 per cent of its crude oil exposure through hedging, but the full numbers reflect a problem that hedging can’t fully solve – the airline has almost no protection against the cost of refining that crude into usable jet fuel.

The result: estimated fuel costs for the second half of FY26 are now $3.1–3.3 billion.

Additional Europe flights

While domestic routes are being wound back, Qantas is actually expanding elsewhere. The group has redeployed capacity from the US and its domestic network to increase flights to Paris and Rome, chasing stronger yields as global travel patterns shift.  

Qantas has extended its additional Perth-Rome flights until the end of October 2026, responding to the continued strong demand to travel to Europe as customers seek alternative routes avoiding the Middle East. Flights to Paris will revert to three flights per week in August and continue to operate from Sydney through Singapore instead of direct from Perth. 

Qantas says these changes will provide an additional 2000 passenger seats to and from Europe each week. 

New direct route to Australia’s Cocos Keeling Islands

In addition to increased flight capacity to Europe, Qantas has also introduced a new non-stop route between Perth and the Cocos Keeling Islands, providing Aussies direct access to a blissful island paradise close to home. The archipelago is a remote Australian external territory in the Indian Ocean, located about halfway between mainland Australia and Sri Lanka. 

The new weekly Friday service, which began on 1 May, will remove the previous stop in Port Hedland – cutting the total journey time to just over four hours. The service is making Australia’s most remote tropical island more accessible, allowing more visitors to experience its stunning lagoons, untouched white-sand beaches and rare wildlife.

What if you’re already booked?

If you have a ticket on one of the suspended routes, you’re not stuck. Maguire confirmed: “Impacted customers are being offered refunds or alternative flights."

Anyone booked on affected services should expect to hear from Qantas or Jetstar directly – but it’s worth proactively checking your booking if your flight falls within the suspension windows.

Are more cuts coming?

Qantas says it is “closely monitoring the situation" given ongoing uncertainty in global fuel supply chains, and the group is working with the government and jet fuel suppliers who continue to provide confidence in fuel supply for the remainder of April and well into May.

For now, travellers booking domestic flights – especially on regional or leisure routes – should keep a close eye on their itineraries as the airline continues to manage one of its most challenging cost environments in years.