American Airlines made history today at Brisbane Airport (BNE) with the arrival of its inaugural non-stop service, flight AA7, from Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport (DFW). Touching down at 4:54am local time, this seasonal service in partnership with Qantas brings Texas and Brisbane closer together, while boosting tourism and trade across the Pacific.
Brisbane is the second Australian destination for American Airlines, with the route the longest by distance in both the airline’s global network and on Brisbane Airport’s growing network map. The touchdown of the Boeing 787-9 was broadcast globally, with the livestream giving viewers a front-row window seat through “runway-cam”.
The new service is supported by the Attracting Aviation Investment Fund. The fund, comprising $100 million from the State Government and $100 million from Queensland’s international airports, was established to speed up the recovery for the tourism sector.
Starting today with 5 flights per week in each direction, American Airlines will increase to daily flights from December through to the end of March.
Brisbane Airport CEO, Gert-Jan de Graaff, welcomed the new airline and route and the strategic opportunities they’ll deliver for both business and leisure travellers.
“Today’s arrival of American Airlines from Dallas-Fort Worth is a landmark moment for Brisbane and Queensland,” de Graaff said.
“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.
“From the Lone Star State to the Sunshine State, this new connection between two hubs unlocks incredible potential on both sides of the Pacific,” he added.
In FY24 the U.S. was the #1 trading partner for freight in the belly of passenger aircraft at Brisbane Airport, with daily exports from Brisbane to the USA averaging 10 tonnes, primarily consisting of beef, fresh seafood, fruit, vegetables and cosmetics.
Imports from the USA to Brisbane averaged 17 tonnes per day, including machinery, mining equipment and electric car parts.
The expansion of American Airlines to Brisbane will further boost freight capacity.
Passengers arriving on the first flight received a warm Brisbane welcome, with cookies baked by Brisbane viral sensation Brooki Bakehouse, which now has a Brisbane Airport store.
From American Airlines Vice President International Operations, José Freig:
“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.
“With this new route, our customers in Brisbane will have access to our largest hub, from where they can connect to explore unexplored and much-loved destinations around the world.”
American U.S. Consul General Christine Elder:
“To have such an important new link between the U.S. and such an important and growing Australian city is truly exciting. With aviation capacity increasing, the long and strong ties between our nations will continue to grow. Not only will these new routes increase connections between our citizens and residents, but these routes will also increase two-way trade with cargo and business-class travelers.
“Americans love coming to see the World Heritage Sites in Queensland and points beyond, and this route also offers a new range of American adventures to Australians departing from Queensland. We couldn’t be happier to support this expansion.”
Tourism and Events Queensland CEO Patricia O’Callaghan:
“This is a touch-down of epic proportions. Texas is the second-most populated state of America with around 30 million residents and American Airlines is the biggest airline in the world by passengers carried, so this arrival couldn’t be more exciting for Brisbane and more broadly Queensland.
“TEQ has been marketing Queensland in partnership with American Airlines (AA) in recent months to build awareness of this air access and today is a big celebration to welcome the first eager AA passengers direct here to Brisbane.
“With the United States being Queensland’s second biggest international visitor market and growing rapidly – up 53 per cent in the last financial year – we are looking forward to this flight route being a huge boost to Queensland’s visitor economy.”
Dallas-Fort Worth Airport CEO Sean Donohue:
“We are excited to launch the new nonstop flight from DFW to Brisbane, which connects North Texas with another dynamic city in Australia and drives significant additional opportunities for trade, tourism, and investment.
“DFW is becoming the global epicenter of the oneworld Alliance, and this new route is another example of how American Airlines and its partners are offering travellers even greater access and convenience from American’s hometown.”
Departure to Texas
The inaugural flight AA8 Brisbane to Dallas-Fort Worth service will depart Tuesday morning at 8:05am.
As part of the American–Qantas joint business partnership, customers will be able to connect to more than 200 destinations across the U.S., Mexico, the Caribbean and Latin America.
Brisbane Airport now has direct connections to 32 international destinations and will on Monday evening see the launch of a new Qantas service to Manila.
Brisbane Airport is connected to 62 domestic ports, more than any other Australian airport, with 53 regular passenger services and 9 charter ports.
BNE – DFW schedule*
| Origin | Destination | Departure Time | Arrival Time | Aircraft |
| BNE | DFW | 8:05am | 7:45am | Boeing 787-9 |
| DFW | BNE | 10:00pm | 05:30am (+2 days) |
*Flight times subject to change and account for Daylight Savings.
