American Airlines made history this morning with the arrival of its inaugural nonstop service from Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport to Australia's Brisbane Airport. The flight set a new record for the longest route by distance flown by American Airlines, and it is now the longest route on the growing Brisbane Airport network map.
Brisbane is the state capital of Queensland and has many of the features that people love about Texas, so it is fitting that it is now the longest route flown by American Airlines. The new route is a seasonal service in partnership with Qantas, and today's arrival was broadcast globally, with the live streaming giving viewers a front-row seat from the "runway cam."
American Airlines (American) flight AA7 departed Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) on October 26 at 22:11 and, after a 15:44 hour flight, touched down at Brisbane Airport (BNE) on October 28 at 04:55, keeping in mind the crossing of the International Date Line impact on local times. American used a 2016 Boeing 787-9, registration N825AA and MSN 40644, for the flight, which is scheduled to depart BNE at 08:05 on Tuesday.
This seasonal service will initially operate five days weekly in each direction, increasing to a daily service for the peak holiday period of December through to the end of March. Brisbane is the second Australian route served by American as the full-service carrier is also flying a daily Boeing 777-300ER service between Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) and Sydney Kingsford Smith Airport (SYD).
The long-awaited service is expected to significantly increase travel between Texas and Queensland and bring thousands of additional tourists to the Sunshine State, boosting the local direct and indirect economies. American Airlines Vice President International Operations José Freig said:
"The excitement we saw when we first announced our new Brisbane flight back at the start of the year was overwhelming, so to have finally landed in the Sunshine State from Dallas-Fort Worth is a momentous occasion for American. Our customers in Brisbane will have access to our largest hub, from where they can explore unexplored and much-loved destinations around the world."
Brisbane Airport is Australia's main hub for air freight exports, and its prime beef, seafood and other local produce are in demand in the USA, so the additional freight capacity from American will boost export activity. The US is Brisbane's number one partner for freight in the belly of passenger aircraft, with daily exports to the US averaging 10 tonnes, primarily consisting of beef, fresh seafood, fruit, vegetables and cosmetics.
Brisbane Airport CEO Gert-Jan de Graaff and his management team have worked tirelessly to rebuild aviation in the state after the ravages of the pandemic. With a new parallel runway, the airport is now one of the nation's fastest-growing international gateways.
"They say there are few things bigger than Texas. Well, Queensland is three times bigger than Texas but we share industries like agriculture, energy, biotechnology and advanced manufacturing."
He described this morning's arrival as a landmark moment for Brisbane and Queensland and said that the new connection between the two hubs unlocks incredible potential on both sides of the Pacific. Imports from the US to Brisbane, including machinery, mining equipment and electric car parts, averaged 17 tonnes per day, and the American flights will further boost freight capacity.
The American-Qantas joint business partnership allows customers to connect to more than 200 destinations across the US, Mexico, the Caribbean and Latin America, while American customers can connect to 62 domestic destinations from BNE, more than from any other Australian airport.
