Qantas switches to Airbus to replace domestic fleet
December 16, 2021
Australian airline Qantas has chosen twinjets by European builder Airbus to modernize its fleet. The decision is a setback to US planemaker Boeing, which supplies much of Qantas' domestic fleet at present.
Qantas already has some Airbus jets operating on domestic routes, but most are BoeingImage: Dan Himbrechts/dpa/picture alliance
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The Australian flag carrier Qantas on Thursday announced it would buy 40 Airbus aircraft as the start of a larger plan to renew its domestic fleet.
The selection of European multinational Airbus as the preferred builder for the airline's single-aisle domestic fleet comes at the expense of Airbus' US competitor Boeing.
Why is the deal important?
Qantas said the in-principle deal, when finalized, would represent the largest aircraft order in Australian aviation history.
An initial order of 20 A320neos and 20 Airbus A220s is planned with purchase options on a further 94 jets further down the line.
The planes would replace an aging fleet of Boeing 737s and 717s on Qantas' and Qantaslinks' domestic routes. Deliveries would begin in mid-2023 and continue over the next 10 years.
The agreement is still subject to board approval, expected by next June 2022 after negotiations with pilots and the finalization of the business case.
While the company on Thursday announced it was about US$4 billion (€3.54 billion) in debt, it said domestic capacity was expected to return to pre-COVID levels by March next year.
"Qantas is in a position to make these commitments because of the way we've navigated through the pandemic, which is a credit to the whole organization."
Financial details of the deal were not disclosed.
Airbus manager Christian Scherer said he looked forward to the delivery of the new Qantas fleet and to working with the Australians.
Long history with Boeing
The order is something of a blow for Boeing and its 737 MAX aircraft, which was hit by a fall in sales even ahead of the coronavirus pandemic after two major crashes that also resulted in flight bans.
The US planemaker still supplies Qantas' long-haul 787 Dreamliners. However, Qantas is separately looking at Airbus A350 widebody planes, which would be capable of the world's longest commercial flights from Sydney to London.
A decision on that is expected next year.
Boeing 747 set for retirement: Goodbye to the original jumbo jet?
Boeing is to quietly end production of the double-decker 747, according to Bloomberg, more than 50 years after it came into service. More than 1,500 of the planes have been built; at least 450 are still in service.
Image: picture-alliance/D. Kubirski
Long-haul icon to be retired
Over the past five decades, Boeing's double-decker 747 jetliner has helped revolutionize global air travel. The invention of the huge jumbo jet allowed the expansion of giant hub airports, where passengers could easily make long-haul journeys and then connect to regional airports on smaller planes.
Image: picture-alliance/AP Photo/M. Probst
Growth impaired by oil crisis
The long-range, wide-body jetliner entered service on January 21, 1970. US airline Pan Am bought 25 planes and got to make the first commercial voyage from New York to London. However, shortly after launch, a severe recession and the 1973 oil crisis put a lid on orders for the jet and several airlines grounded their 747s as they were too costly to fly.
Image: Getty Images/AFP
Traveling in style
The 747 was not only praised for its technical innovations, it also stood for glamor. With a lounge serving cocktails, it promised a sleek and relaxed travel experience. At more than 70 meters (230 feet) long and with a wingspan of almost 60 meters, it offered space for between 366 and 550 passengers, depending on how the seats were arranged.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/Boeing
Crashes and hijackings hurt reputation
The jumbo did have its fair share of disasters, including a bomb explosion on Pan Am flight 103 in December 1988 which killed 270 people over the small town of Lockerbie in Scotland. In 1986, a Pan Am jet was hijacked by four Palestinian men and flown to Frankfurt. Pictured above is the wreckage of two 747s, which collided in March 1977 at an airport in Tenerife, killing 583 passengers and crew.
Image: Getty Images/Central Press
Stretched and reengineered
The latest passenger edition, the 747-8 series, was launched in 2012. The first 8 Intercontinental was delivered to German flag carrier Lufthansa. It can carry 467 passengers in a typical three-class configuration and has a range of 7,730 nautical miles (14,310 kilometers). The series is also available in variants for government and military use, including Air Force One for the US president.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa
Now a flying dinosaur
Like the even bigger Airbus A380 (in the foreground), the 747 no longer meets the economic requirements of airlines that prefer long-haul, dual-engine aircraft such as the A350 or the Boeing 777 and 787. In the past year, there were only 20 or so outstanding orders for the 747, all of them for freight carriers.
