Qantas is launching a new direct route to Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW) and increasing flights to Los Angeles (LAX) as it rebuilds its US network.

From Dec. 2, the airline will operate four weekly return flights between Melbourne (MEL) and DFW using Boeing 787-9 aircraft, becoming the first nonstop service between the two cities.

This route will complement the airline’s existing Sydney (SYD)-DFW route, which is scheduled to be operated daily from August onboard 787-9s.

Qantas is also adding another four weekly return flights between Melbourne and Los Angeles with its 787s, up from 4X-weekly currently. Its refurbished Airbus A380s will resume operating some of these flights to LAX from December, marking the return of Qantas’ superjumbo and reintroduction of first class to Melbourne.

“No city in the world did it tougher during COVID than Melbourne, but no city is bouncing back as quickly,” Qantas chief customer officer Stephanie Tully said.

“We are seeing really strong demand from Melburnians wanting to travel overseas for a holiday or business trip after two years at home, while inbound tourism is starting to pick up. Flights to the United States are particularly strong with Los Angeles bookings now exceeding pre-COVID levels.

“As well as being a destination in its own right, Dallas-Fort Worth is one of the biggest hub airports in the United States and is located less than a four-hour flight from every major US city.”

DFW is a hub for Qantas’ oneworld alliance partner American, while the two carriers have transpacific joint venture together. The new service will therefore offer significant opportunities for onward connections at both ends of the route.

At 14,468 km (8,990 mi.), MEL-DFW will also become one of the longest routes in the world and just 31 km shorter than Qantas’ longest pre-pandemic route between Perth (PER) and London Heathrow (LHR). The flying time from Melbourne to Dallas will be around 15-hours 45-minutes, while the return flight will be around 17-hours 35-minutes.

The current longest route in the world is operated by Singapore Airlines between Singapore (SIN) and New York John F Kennedy (JFK) at 15,332 km.

“These new flights provide excellent connections for Australians visiting the United States and allow Melbourne to tap into an enormous inbound tourism market from cities like New York, Chicago, Boston, Houston, Washington DC, and Miami, as well as saving hours of travel time,” Tully said.

“We know large numbers of customers have been travelling between Melbourne and Dallas Fort Worth via our existing Sydney service, which gives us great confidence about how this route will perform when flights start.”