Face-to-face: Markus Svensson, Qantas regional general manager, UK, Europe, Middle East and Africa 

Qantas has witnessed a turnaround in fortunes – what role has business through the region you now represent played in this success story? 

The UK and Middle East are some of the most popular and busiest destinations for Qantas customers in Australia, commonly referred to as The Kangaroo Route. Qantas has a rich history with London and the Kangaroo Route, flying here for over 68 years. We recently partnered with Heathrow for its 70th anniversary, which was important to us as we’ve held a fantastic partnership with Heathrow for so many decades.

Our partnership with Emirates gives customers more choice and variety between Europe, Middle East, North Africa, and Australia with complimentary networks and premium products and services.

What opportunities has the Qantas/Emirates partnership brought to the UK market, particularly with Qantas now flying via Dubai between the UK and Australia, and having access to the EK global network?

Our partnership with Emirates gives customers more choice and variety between Europe, Middle East, North Africa and Australia. Together we offer the largest shared A380 network, exceptional lounges here and award-winning service – a truly aligned travel experience with global reach.

What makes Qantas a compelling service from the UK to Dubai and Australia in terms of product and service?

We pride ourselves on offering the Best of Australia to our customers, from the moment they step on board.  Qantas makes getting to Australia easier, using the same flagship A380 on layover in Dubai, eliminating the risk of missing a connecting flight as well as bags getting lost in transfer.

Dishes in our premium cabins are designed by renowned Australian Chef Neil Perry and his Rockpool team, offering customers a range of dining options from a seven-course tasting menu in our First cabin to lighter options such as the signature steak sandwich. Fresh ingredients are sourced locally and cooked in-flight rather than being reheated.  Our Economy passengers enjoy larger meals and a choice of three dishes (including healthy, destination-inspired and comfort food options) with the opportunity to pre-order an exclusive fourth dish with the Select on Q Eat service. We also offer some of Australia’s finest wine, chosen by a team of wine experts and mixologists from the Qantas Rockpool Sommeliers who select wine, Champagne, spirits and other beverages for Qantas domestic and international flights and lounges

Our latest inflight entertainment offering includes more than 1500 programmes across movies, radio, tv and games and access to more than 4,000 magazines and print titles through Qantas’ PressReader inflight entertainment app.

What are your newest products and services on the A380 you are keen to shout about and why?

We recently refreshed the design of our Jack & Kate Spade amenity kits available in our Business cabins and updated our quarterly menus in Business and First which reflects the seasonality of the ingredients.  An exciting aspect of the new menu is Qantas honey used as a key ingredient in some of our signature drinks and dishes served in our First and Business cabins and Sydney First Lounge. Qantas honey is a blend of honey from Hank’s Jam and ten beehives (home to 800,000 bees) which have been installed at the airline’s headquarters in Mascot, Sydney in collaboration with The Urban Beehive.

What’s your UK market growth strategy? Key areas of focus and why?

Financially, we remain committed to our disciplined financial framework and to building the Group’s long-term competitive advantages. We continue to invest in the customer experience and our people, in our product, service and training and embedding innovation and agility across the Qantas Group.