The AFF article claims QF5/QF6 are "extremely popular with Aussies."
But as international flights go, it's a small capacity aircraft - a maximum of 236 seats, probably fewer due to crew requirements (and perhaps to reduce weight at least one way given the length of the PER-FCO sector).
If it's 'so popular', how come QFi doesn't operate it all year round, and daily, as many competitors do with their flights into and out of FCO?
It's testimony to QFi's weak, and fast declining, international brand that it can't maintain a daily frequency 365 days a year to the major tourism destination of Italy. The 'Sunday Herald Sun' had commentary yesterday on celebrities going to Italy: a few may have travelled on QFi if they lacked private jets, but try to travel in March or April with QFi and it's an indirect journey via LHR or elsewhere.
It'd be interesting to know QFi's annual market share of Australia-Italy air passenger journeys.
QF5/QF6 would have seen an increase, but with competitors such as SQ, EK, QR and numerous others offering either one-stop or two-stop flights to and from Italy, overall its percentage may well be quite low.