Qantas has announced a $100 million investment in its network of domestic and international lounges that will take place over the next three years.

This includes the surprise reopening of the carrier’s Hong Kong lounge in April 2023, complete with the popular yum cha trolley. The carrier had previously announced it would not be reopening this lounge after the pandemic.

Another key project will be a new flagship first class lounge at London Heathrow, which is expected to offer direct access to boarding gates, views over the airfield, wellbeing features and dining facilities.

The Qantas First Lounge will operate alongside the current International Lounge, which will become a dedicated business class lounge. It is expected to open in 2025 to coincide with the launch of Project Sunrise ultra long haul flights from Australia’s east coast to destinations including the UK.

Qantas Group CEO Alan Joyce said: “London is one of the most important destinations on our network and it’s the perfect location for a First Lounge, especially with our direct Project Sunrise flights on the way. Heathrow is one of the world’s busiest airports so we’re very pleased to be working with them to secure a great space in the terminal for an additional lounge.”