Asian Airlines Boost Long-Haul Trips as Travel Demand Surges

Qantas Airways Ltd., Air India, and Malaysia Airlines are adding long-haul flights after the war in the Middle East knocked out carriers in the region, roiling travel plans and causing airfares to skyrocket.

Qantas, Australia’s flag carrier, has seen a “spike in customers traveling via the US” to get to their final destinations, the company said in an email on Thursday. That’s prompted the airline to deploy a spare 485-seat Airbus SE A380 — which was initially supposed to fly to Germany for maintenance — to be used as a flight from Sydney to London’s Heathrow Airport on Saturday, it said.