SINGAPORE, 29 October 2018: Qantas has announced it will develop a new first class lounge and expand its existing business lounge at Singapore Changi Airport.
The first class lounge project will begin in April 2019 and when completed will be able to accommodate 240 customers.
The existing business lounge will expand to give it a capacity of 560 guests.
Qantas Group’s CEO, Alan Joyce, made the announcement as part of the airline’s first quarter trading update, noting it would increase overall lounge capacity in Singapore by 60%.
“With the return of our A380 service to Singapore we’ve got more passengers transiting through our existing lounge and strong demand for travel in premium cabins.
“Our top tier frequent flyers tell us their pre-flight lounge ritual is one of their trip highlights and the Singapore First Lounge will not be an exception. For people taking an onward flight it will be a place to refresh, dine, make calls and catch up on emails before continuing their journey.”
Set to open towards the end of 2019, the new first class lounge will be designed to suit the specific needs of transit travellers, with shower facilities, a cocktail bar, open kitchen and menu offerings. It will join Sydney, Melbourne and Los Angeles as Qantas hubs with a dedicated first class lounge.
Singapore is Qantas’ largest hub outside of Australia, carrying more than 20% of the airline’s wide body fleet. Qantas operates over 50 return services in and out of Changi Airport each week, making it one of the largest foreign airlines to operate out of the Singapore airport. From Singapore, Jetstar Group operates 298 weekly return flights to 26 destinations.
In addition to its investment in Singapore, the airline also announced it would upgrade its lounges in Tokyo, Auckland, Sydney, Brisbane, Hobart and Tamworth in regional Australia. A new Melbourne domestic lounge precinct is due to open at the end of this month.
