Qantas is expanding its Brisbane–Manila route with additional services and a refreshed timetable from October 2025, as demand for travel between Australia and the Philippines continues to climb.
The airline will increase its schedule from four to five return flights per week, operated by Airbus A330 aircraft, adding more than 25,000 extra seats annually between Queensland’s capital and the Filipino capital.
The expansion comes just a year after Qantas launched the route, underscoring strong passenger demand.
From 27 October 2025, flight times will be adjusted to better suit business and leisure travellers. Northbound services will depart Brisbane in the early afternoon, arriving in Manila in the evening, while return flights will operate overnight, landing in Brisbane early the next morning.
Cam Wallace, CEO of Qantas International, said the move reflects the strengthening ties between the two countries: “As trade and tourism links between Australia and the Philippines continue to strengthen, Manila is an important and growing market for Qantas. Since commencing services from Brisbane late last year, we’ve been delighted with how popular our flights have been and are pleased to be offering customers more connections and greater flexibility when travelling to Manila.”
Tourism Research Australia’s latest International Visitor Survey highlights the growing significance of Filipino visitors to the Australian economy. For the year ending March 2025, there were more than 162,000 inbound trips from the Philippines – a 17 per cent increase in nights and a nine per cent rise in spend, taking total visitor expenditure to over $550 million.
The added flights are expected to support further growth in both leisure and business travel between the two countries, with Qantas positioning itself to capture rising demand in one of Asia-Pacific’s most dynamic aviation markets.