Brisbane lands direct flights from San Francisco

The world’s second largest carrier, United Airlines will fly direct from San Francisco to Brisbane three times a week from October in one of the most significant aviation deals to land in Queensland.

Secured through the Queensland Government's $200 million Attracting Aviation Investment Fund in partnership with Brisbane Airport Corporation, United Airlines’ Boeing 787 Dreamliners will deliver an extra 40,000 international seats a year into Brisbane. A code-share arrangement with Virgin Australia will allow the arrivals to seamlessly transfer domestically.

Before the pandemic, the United States was Queensland’s third largest international tourism market, bringing 236,000 visitors a year who spent $419 million.

This new deal, the first time United Airlines will fly into Queensland, will support 385 local jobs and inject $73 million into the economy and is a significant milestone to rebuilding Queensland’s $6 billion inbound international tourism industry.

Photo L-R: Samuel Shinohara, Managing Director, Airport Operations Asia/Pacific, United Airlines; Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk; Gert-Jan de Graaff, Chief Executive Officer, Brisbane Airport; and Minister for Tourism, Innovation and Sport, The Hon Stirling Hinchliffe.