"Dawdling" Qantas tells Perth airport to up investment in terminal row

Qantas has challenged Perth Airport to invest more in its current international operation if it wants to speed up the airline’s move from Terminal 3 to 1. It follows the Western Australian government last week claiming The Flying Kangaroo was “dawdling” over the transfer, which it argued was holding the whole state back and damaging tourism. The move to the new T1 international terminal has been planned since at least 2016 when Qantas signed an “in-principle” agreement to shift its international operations across by the end of 2025. This was delayed by COVID-19, with the airport and airline thus far unable to agree on a new date. Qantas says that Terminal 3, which is approximately a 15-minute drive from Perth’s Airport Central precinct used for other domestic and international flights as well as the airport rail link, needs more money invested while the T1 setup is being completed. This includes adding new biosecurity measures to T3 so that the airline can open up routes into Indonesia and South Africa. “We are working with Perth Airport on moving to Airport Central over the long term. The first step is reaching a new agreement with the Airport that will give us the certainty to grow our Western Hub,” a Qantas spokesperson said.<br/>