2nd May 2018
Written on 2nd May 2018
Qantas orders six more Dreamliners
Qantas has announced an order for six additional Boeing 787-9s to fly on its international network, bringing its fleet of Dreamliners to 14 by the end of 2020.
The arrival of the new aircraft will enable the airline to accelerate retirement of its last six Boeing 747s – an aircraft type that has been in its fleet in various forms since 1971.
It is currently unclear where these six Dreamliners will be based. Of the original eight aircraft joining Qantas’s fleet, four of these will be based in Melbourne while the other four will be stationed in Brisbane. Qantas expects to take delivery of all these initial eight aircraft by the end of this year.
However, Qantas CEO Alan Joyce did hint at some of the possible destinations for these new aircraft.
“The B787 has better economics and a longer range, and it’s already opened up new routes like Perth to London. With a larger fleet of Dreamliners, we’ll be looking at destinations in the Americas, Asia, South Africa and Europe.”
Qantas took delivery of its first Dreamliner last October, debuting the aircraft on its Melbourne-Los Angeles route. Since then, the aircraft has been deployed on routes including its 17-hour Perth-London, which it launched in March.
Interiors of the additional 787s will feature the same configuration as the existing aircraft. The Qantas Dreamliner carries fewer passengers than the larger 747 (236 seats vs 364) and has a greater focus on Business and Premium Economy seating.
To date, Qantas has taken delivery of four 787-9s with a further four due to arrive by the end of 2018.
There are currently ten 747-400s left in the fleet and these will be steadily retired between July this year and the end of 2020. Qantas received the last of its 747s new from Boeing in 2003, which will be 17 years old at time of retirement.
Source: Qantas.com
