Qantas CEO Vanessa Hudson has already named the Canberra to Singapore route as being on the airline’s radar for some of the carrier’s new planes.

In particular, the new A321XLR, which comes into the Qantas fleet next year.

It’s a bigger version of the Airbus jets that Jetstar flies and can handle mid-haul routes.

Its service range can see the jet fly about 11 hours non-stop – sufficient for a direct flight between the national capital and most of south-east Asia.

Chief Minister Andrew Barr has seized on Ms Hudson’s comments saying it’s the strongest signal yet the Flying Kangaroo would launch an international route out of Canberra.

The route was flown by Singapore Airlines before the pandemic, but it hasn’t returned to it.