Having taken off from Dallas-Fort Worth in the US more than 16 hours earlier, American Airlines’ flight AA7 touched down at Brisbane Airport in Australia in the early hours of Monday 28 October.

The inaugural flight is the first non-stop service from Dallas to Brisbane and is part of a joint business partnership with Australian carrier, Qantas. It is the longest route by distance flown by American Airlines and the longest route on the growing Brisbane Airport network map. The flight arrived in Brisbane at 4.54am local time, with the touchdown of the Boeing 787-9 livestreamed on the airport’s youtube channel. The seasonal service will be operated five times per week initially, increasing to daily operations from December through to the end of March 2025.

Landmark arrival

Describing the arrival of the service from Texas as a “landmark moment for Brisbane and Queensland”, Brisbane Airport CEO, Gert-Jan de Graaff, said “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.

“From the Lone Star State to the Sunshine State, this new connection between the two hubs unlocks incredible potential on both sides of the Pacific.”

The US was the top trading partner for freight in the belly of passenger aircraft at Brisbane Airport in FY24, with daily exports from Brisbane to the US averaging 10 tonnes and primarily consisting of beef, fresh seafood, fruit, vegetables and cosmetics.

Meanwhile, from the US to Brisbane, imports averaged 17 tonnes per day, with machinery, mining equipment and electric car parts all featuring heavily.

Tourism’s role in improving connectivity

American US Consul General Christine Elder said the new routes will “not only increase connections between citizens and residents, but these routes will also increase two-way trade with cargo and business-class travellers.”

The arrival of the American carrier builds on marketing efforts generate awareness  of the air access between the two destinations by Tourism and Events Queensland and underpins the importance of tourism entities having a seat at the table when route planning.

The service is also supported by the Attracting Aviation Investment Fund, comprising $100 million from the State Government and $100 million from Queensland’s international airports. The fund was established to speed up the recovery for the tourism sector.

Image source: Brisbane Airport