Quick summary
From December 2026 to the end of March 2027, Qantas will fly the Palau Paradise Express twice weekly between Brisbane and Koror: out on Wednesdays and Saturdays, back on Thursdays and Sundays. The government-backed service has been extended through 30 November 2027. The route uses a Boeing 737-800 and takes about six hours to cover 4,335 km.
The frequency increase is subject to government and regulatory approvals, so confirm the QF165 and QF166 timings with Qantas before booking. This guide covers what the doubled schedule changes for Australian travelers.
On 2 September 2026, Qantas and the Australian government announced an extension and extra flights for the Palau Paradise Express, the only nonstop air link between Australia and Palau. The second weekly rotation makes a four-day Palau holiday possible within a single week of leave.
The change is about timing, not routing. The service remains the fastest way Australians can reach Palau.
The extra frequency is confined to the December to March peak window. For travelers, the departure and return days now shape how short a trip can be.
What the direct Brisbane-Palau route is now
The Palau Paradise Express began in May 2024, when Nauru Airlines launched a nonstop Brisbane to Koror service under an Australian government contract. Qantas took over the flying in December 2024 and has operated it since. The government underwrites the link. That support keeps a small Pacific destination directly connected to Australia.
The aircraft is a Boeing 737-800, and the sector covers 4,335 km in roughly six hours. The separate domestic hop for travelers from Sydney and Melbourne is set out in the Brisbane positioning strategy for Palau flights.
In September 2026 the federal government extended its support, a 12-month addition to the existing contract. For travelers, the nonstop is underwritten for another year rather than renewed annually. That is unusual for a route this small.
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The schedule change: twice weekly from December 2026
From December 2026 to the end of March 2027, the Palau Paradise Express runs two return flights a week instead of one. Brisbane to Koror departures are on Wednesdays and Saturdays; Koror to Brisbane returns are on Thursdays and Sundays.
The published timings show QF165 leaving Brisbane at 08:05 and reaching Koror at 13:00. The second rotation runs from 09:05 to 14:00.
QF166 returns from Koror at 07:00, landing in Brisbane at 13:55. The later rotation runs from 08:30 to 15:25, according to the schedule AeroRoutes filed on 4 September 2026.
Both directions are daytime flights, removing an overnight sector. The increase is subject to government and regulatory approvals, so the second rotation is planned rather than guaranteed.
Why Qantas is adding flights
Australian demand is driving the extra frequency. Visitation from Australia to Palau during the peak period has grown 107% year on year since Qantas took over the route in 2024. The service has carried more than 15,400 passengers since its December 2024 launch. Australian arrivals to Palau rose 68% in the first seven months of 2026.
The route is an economic program as well as a commercial one. The Australian-supported link contributed an estimated AUD 10 million to Palau’s economy in 2025, which is why the government keeps underwriting it.
Peak-season seats are the ones under pressure.
What the doubled service means for a Palau trip
Two rotations in the same direction make shorter stays possible. With a single weekly flight, the same trip had to stretch across a full week.
About 75% of passengers on the Brisbane to Koror service are visiting Palau for the first time. The extra frequency is aimed at them: shorter, more flexible first trips rather than repeat visits.
The extra Wednesday rotation serves the period when Australians want to fly.
What the extra flight changes for bookings
The second rotation could shift before December.
Travelers tied to school holidays. The December to March window is exactly when Australian families fly. The decision is whether to commit early to the Wednesday or Saturday departure; if approvals shift the schedule, flexible dates are worth more than a small saving. Watch for Qantas confirming the QF165 and QF166 timings before committing to dates.
First-time visitors. The return day determines the length of the stay: a Sunday return gives four nights, while a Thursday return gives five. Build the trip around the Wednesday to Sunday pairing if leave is tight.
Sydney and Melbourne departures. Brisbane is the only Australian gateway, so a separate domestic flight north is unavoidable. We would leave a generous buffer between the domestic arrival and the international departure, because separate tickets carry no protection if the first leg runs late.
The next fixed date for the Palau Paradise Express is the end of the current government contract: 30 November 2027.
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Questions? Answers.
Is the Palau Paradise Express still operated by Nauru Airlines or has it changed?
Qantas has operated the Brisbane to Koror service since December 2024, after Nauru Airlines launched it in May 2024. Nauru Airlines’ separate government contract expired on 30 June 2026, and a replacement operator for the wider North Pacific Connector program is still being evaluated.
What if I can’t fly on the Wednesday or Saturday departure?
There is no other nonstop option between Australia and Palau. Outside the December to March peak window the service drops back to a single weekly return, so travelers with fixed dates should plan around the published rotation or accept a connecting itinerary.
How do I book positioning flights from Sydney for the self-transfer?
Brisbane is the only Australian gateway, so Sydney and Melbourne travelers need a separate domestic flight north. We would leave a generous buffer between the domestic arrival and the international departure, because separate tickets are not protected if the first leg is delayed.
Does this route connect to other Pacific islands?
Not on the Palau Paradise Express itself, which flies nonstop. The government’s North Pacific Connector program links Australia with Nauru, Kiribati, the Marshall Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia and Palau, but a replacement operator is being evaluated after Nauru Airlines’ contract expired on 30 June 2026.
Where do you fly into to go to Palau?
Palau’s international gateway is Koror, airport code ROR. The Palau Paradise Express flies nonstop there from Brisbane in about six hours, covering 4,335 km.
