Nine aircraft in service, remaining air-frame to be reactivated before the end of 2025.[28] To be eventually retired and replaced by Airbus A350-1000.[13]
In August 2012, Qantas cancelled its order for 35 Boeing 787-9 aircraft due to losses and to conserve capital, while keeping its order for 15 Boeing 787-8 aircraft for Jetstar and purchase rights for 50 Boeing 787-9 aircraft.[34][35] In August 2015, Qantas ordered eight Boeing 787-9s for delivery from 2017.[36]
In February 2019, Qantas cancelled its remaining orders for eight Airbus A380-800 aircraft.[37]
In June 2019, during the Paris Air Show, Qantas Group converted 26 Airbus A321neo orders to the ultra-long-range A321XLR variant, and another ten A321neo orders to the longer-range A321LR variant, and ordered an additional ten A321XLRs. This brought Qantas Group's total Airbus A320neo family order to 109 aircraft, consisting of 45 A320neos, 28 A321LRs, and 36 A321XLRs. At the time of the announcement, Qantas CEO Alan Joyce stated that a decision had not yet been made on how the aircraft would be distributed between Qantas and Jetstar, or whether they were to be used for network growth or the replacement of older aircraft.[38]
In December 2019, Qantas selected the Airbus A350-1000 for its Project Sunrise program of non-stop flights from Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane to cities such as London, New York, Paris, Rio de Janeiro, Cape Town, and Frankfurt. No orders had been placed but Qantas would work closely with Airbus to prepare contract terms for up to 12 aircraft ahead of a final decision by the Qantas Board. Due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on aviation, plans for Project Sunrise were put on hold indefinitely.[39][40]
In December 2021, Qantas selected the Airbus A321XLR to replace its Boeing 737-800s, and the Airbus A220 to replace its QantasLinkBoeing 717s. The in-principle agreement was for up to 134 orders and purchase right options over more than ten years, with deliveries occurring sometime after July 2023. The order was expected to be finalised before June 2022.[41]
In May 2022, Qantas placed an order for 12 Airbus A350-1000 for the Project Sunrise program. The first is expected to be delivered to Qantas in late 2026. An Airbus A350-1000 was flown to Sydney from Toulouse via Perth wearing Qantas decals to celebrate this order. The 238 seats will be split into six first class suites (three-abreast), 52 business class suites (four-abreast), 40 premium economy seats at 40″ pitch (eight-abreast) and 140 economy class seats at 33″ pitch (nine-abreast). The A350-1000 will be specially designed and certified for Qantas's requirements, it will feature a rear centre tank (RCT) that allows the aircraft to fly the distances required.[42] In the same announcement, they finalised their order for the Airbus A321XLR and Airbus A220.[43]
In February 2023, Qantas exercised nine purchase right options for the A220-300 aircraft, taking the total number of A220-300s on firm order to 29 for QantasLink.[44]
In August 2023, Qantas ordered 24 new aircraft: four Boeing 787-9, eight Boeing 787-10, and 12 Airbus A350-1000. The former two will replace Airbus A330 aircraft from 2027. Qantas has purchase right options with Boeing and Airbus "to provide flexibility for future growth and, ultimately, replacement of the A380 fleet" from 2032.[13][45]
In August 2025, Qantas exercised twenty purchase right options for an incremental order for 20 Airbus A321XLR aircraft to continue the replacement of the Boeing 737-800s, bringing the total order for Qantas to 48. 16 of these aircraft will be fitted with lie-flat business class seats and seat-back entertainment screens to operate a mix of medium-haul international and transcontinental routes. The aircraft with this new configuration will begin to arrive from 2028.[11]
Qantas has had a varied fleet since the airline's inception. Following its foundation shortly after the end of the First World War, the first aircraft to serve in the fleet was the Avro 504K, a small biplane. In 1959, Qantas entered the jet age, with a delivery of seven Boeing 707 aircraft.[46]
First aircraft
Avro Dyack, the first Qantas plane, ca. 1921
Qantas' first aircraft was an Avro 504K, with a 100-horsepower (74kW) water-cooled Sunbeam Dyak engine. A replica of which can be seen at Qantas Campus, Mascot. By 1921 it also operated a Royal Aircraft Factory BE2E with a 90-horsepower (67kW) air-cooled engine.[citation needed]
During World War II, Qantas operated flying boats on the Australia-England route in cooperation with British Overseas Airways Corporation (BOAC). After Italy entered the war in June 1940, this became the Horseshoe Route between Sydney and Durban in South Africa, with the South Africa – UK stage being by sea. This service was a vital line of communication between Australia and the United Kingdom.[48]
In June 1943, Qantas employed 5 Consolidated PBY Catalina flying boats—obtained under Lend-Lease through the British Air Ministry—to establish a route between Perth in Australia and Colombo in Sri Lanka, then Ceylon, over the Indian Ocean. Becoming known as The Double Sunrise, this route remains the longest non-stop commercial flight ever undertaken, requiring between 27 and 32 hours to complete, depending on winds. Over the next two years, 271 crossings took place.[49][50]
Starting in June 1944, Qantas augmented the Catalinas with the first of two converted Consolidated B-24 Liberatorbombers, which could complete the Australia–Ceylon journey in substantially less time, with a much larger payload. The route was named the Kangaroo Route and marked the first time that Qantas' now-famous kangaroo logo was used. Passengers received a certificate proclaiming them as members of The Order of the Longest Hop.[50] A new version of the logo was launched in July 2007.[51]
In June 1945, Avro Lancastrians were introduced on the Australia–England service, with the Liberators and Catalinas being shifted to other routes.[50]
In accordance with the Lend-Lease agreement, the five modified Catalinas used for Double Sunrise service were scuttled after the war. Qantas obtained seven former Royal Australian Air Force Catalinas, using them to serve outlying South Pacific islands. The last two Catalinas were retired in 1958.[49]
From 1954, Qantas placed into service the first of sixteen L-1049 Super Constellation aircraft, which remained in the fleet to 1963.[52] By 1956, the airline was operating 34 propeller-driven aircraft. Qantas carried a record number of passengers to the 1956 Summer Olympics in Melbourne, and carried the Olympic flame[54][unreliable source?] into the Southern Hemisphere for the first time on its longest ever trip, from Athens to Darwin.[55]
Qantas entered the jet age in July 1959 with Boeing 707 services to the United States. The service was extended to London via New York. In October 1959, Sydney to London services via Bombay began.[56] With the certification of the turbofan engine, Qantas modified its existing 707-138 fleet with the turbofans, naming its Boeing 707 aircraft V-Jets, from the Latin vannus, meaning "fan" as commonly accepted, but really standing for "thing that blows against the grain". In total, Qantas took delivery of seven Boeing 707-138s, and a further six 707-138Bs.
From November 1959 until May 1963, Qantas operated six de Havilland Comets, four being wet leased from BOAC. They were crewed by BOAC employees and featured Qantas titles on the fuselage in place of the BOAC titles.[57]
In February 1965, Qantas placed in service twenty-two Boeing 707-338Cs, which replaced the Boeing 707-138Bs and provided for expansion of the fleet. These flew until retirement in March 1979.[58]
From 1971, Qantas operated the Boeing 747-238B,[59] which strengthened its long haul fleet. When the Boeing 707s were retired in 1979, Qantas became the world's only all Boeing 747 operator.[60] In 1981, two short body Boeing 747SPs entered the fleet for flights to Wellington, and they were subsequently used on non-stop flights between Sydney and Los Angeles.[61][62]
In November 1984, Qantas began service with six Boeing 747-338s with an extended upper deck.[62] From 1985, Qantas ceased being an all Boeing 747 operator when the first of seven Boeing 767-238ERs entered the fleet.[60] These were followed by the Boeing 767-300ERs, with the first example delivered in August1988(1988-08).[63] From August 2000, seven additional Boeing 767-336ERs were leased and subsequently purchased from British Airways.[64]
On its delivery flight in July 1989, Qantas' first Boeing 747-400 flew a record-breaking non-stop flight from London to Sydney in little more than 20 hours. This record stood until bettered by a Boeing 787 in October 2019.[65][66] Qantas purchased 60 Boeing 747s, with the last delivered in 2003. Fifty-seven were purchased new and three second-hand. Qantas leased a further five from other airlines at various stages.[60] The last six Boeing 747-400s were retired in 2020.[67]
In the early 1990s, Qantas was one of eight major airlines working with Boeing on the design of the Boeing 777. Despite being part of the design group, Qantas never acquired any 777s. Several aviation commentators have criticised this decision, as the 777 appeared to be a good fit for Qantas' requirements.[68][additional citation(s) needed] While the reasons have never been made public by Qantas, it is believed that various reasons contributed to the decision, such as a Civil Aviation Safety Authority restriction on ETOPS 180 operations, errors made by Qantas in the forecasting of future fuel prices which made the 777 appear expensive to operate, and a desire to keep the number of types in the fleet to a minimum.[citation needed]
In 2008, Qantas took delivery of the first of 12 Airbus A380s.[69] These aircraft were decommissioned during the COVID-19 pandemic, however, by April 2024, Qantas had returned ten of its original twelve A380s to service, with all serviceable aircraft having undergone major refurbishment work to enhance the onboard soft furnishings.[70]
In February 2014, Qantas retired its fleet of Boeing 737-400 aircraft.[73]
Throughout 2014, Qantas' Boeing 767-300ER fleet was in the process of a phase-out, with the last five operating commercial services operating on 27 December.[74] Four of them were sold to WestJet.[75]
Qantas' oldest Boeing 747-400 (VH-OJA, City of Canberra) was retired in March 2015 and flown to Shellharbour Airport to be donated to the Historical Aviation Restoration Society.[76]
In October 2019, Qantas' final Boeing 747-400 (VH-OJU, Lord Howe Island) was retired after operating QF99 from Sydney to Los Angeles. In March 2020, Qantas operated its last commercial Boeing 747 flight from Santiago de Chile to Sydney.[77][78]
The final Boeing 747-400ER in the fleet (VH-OEJ, Wunala) departed Sydney on 22 July 2020 as flight number QF7474. It did a flypast of Sydney Harbour, Sydney CBD and the northern and eastern suburbs beaches, followed by a low level overfly of Shellharbour Airport in a final farewell to VH-OJA. Seats on three joy flights – over Sydney, Brisbane and Canberra – were offered before the aircraft's final flight. In the context of the COVID-19 pandemic's impact on Victoria, Melbourne was not offered a flight.[79] The final flight departed from Sydney, while the aircraft was sprayed with jets of water and crowds looked on.[80] Its flight path traced Qantas's 'Flying Kangaroo' logo in the sky as it headed east,[81][82] and entered retirement in the Californian desert in Mojave.[83]
Naming
The naming of Qantas aircraft has followed various themes since 1926.
1949 Douglas DC-4– "Trader" theme –Pacific Trader, Norfolk Trader, New Guinea Trader, Hong Kong Trader, Malayan Trader, Australian Trader, Philippine Trader.[88]
1951 Short Sandringham S.25 Flying Boat – "Pacific" theme –Pacific Warrior, Pacific Chieftain, Pacific Voyager and Pacific Explorer.[89]
1954 Lockheed L-1049 Super Constellation– "Southern" theme –Southern Aurora, Southern Boomerang, Southern Breeze, Southern Constellation, Southern Dawn, Southern Horizon, Southern Melody, Southern Mist, Southern Moon, Southern Prodigal, Southern Sea, Southern Sky, Southern Spray, Southern Star, Southern Sun, Southern Tide, Southern Wave, Southern Wind and Southern Zephyr.[90] Also, the Super Constellation L-1049F restored by the Historical Aircraft Restoration Society (HARS) was named "Southern Preservation", in the theme of the original aircraft.
1989 Boeing 747-400– in addition to their usual city names, all Boeing 747-400 aircraft carry the word "Longreach" as part of the livery. This is actually a double meaning - it signifies both the "long reach" of the aircraft (i.e. they have a long range), and the town where Qantas commenced operations: Longreach, Queensland.[96]
In 1993 Qantas obtained a domestic route network when Australian Airlines (formerly Trans Australia Airlines) was merged into Qantas. Australian Airlines had used different naming conventions and these names were carried over.
Wunala Dreaming (Boeing 747-400VH-OJB[102] and Boeing 747-400ERVH-OEJ[103]after retirement of OJB) (OJB was repainted into regular Qantas livery) The design was by John Moriarty and his wife Ros (Balarinji Designs); the design features the spirits of Indigenous Australians in the form of kangaroos travelling through the red desert landscape. VH-OEJ was repainted back into the standard Qantas livery in 2012.[104]Wunala means kangaroo.[98]
Nalanji Dreaming (Boeing 747-300VH-EBU[105]) was also painted to a design by John and Ros Moriarty and was launched in 1995.[98] The aircraft has been retired in 2008.
Yananyi Dreaming (Boeing 737-800VH-VXB[106]) launched in 2002;[107] the artwork was by Rene Kulitja, a Pitjitjantjarra woman from Mutitjulu, near Uluru.[100] repainted into corporate livery - September 2014.
Mendoowoorrji (Boeing 737-800VH-XZJ[108]) was designed by John and Ros Moriarty based on the 2005 painting 'Medicine Pocket' by West Australian Aboriginal artist Paddy Bedford and launched in November 2013.[109][110]
Emily Kame Kngwarreye (Boeing 787 DreamlinerVH-ZND[111]) was inspired by the 1991 artwork 'Yam Dreaming', painted by the late artist, Emily Kame Kngwarreye. The painting captures the essence of the yam plant, an important symbol in Emily's Dreamtime story, and an important food source in her home region of Utopia, 230 kilometres north east of Alice Springs.
2014 Boeing 737-800– Aircraft in Historical Qantas Livery –James Strong and Retro Roo II. The first aircraft appears in the Qantas 1971 to 1984 livery and the second aircraft appears in Qantas' first jet livery used from 1959 to 1961.
↑ "Longreach". Australian Stockman's Hall of Fame and Outback Heritage Centre. 2007. Archived from the original on 19 July 2008. Retrieved 23 July 2008.
↑ Squires, Nick (17 September 2000). "Aborigine fury as 'false image' sells Olympics". The Daily Telegraph - republished by European Network for Indigenous Australian Rights. Archived from the original on 21 July 2008. Retrieved 23 July 2008. Earlier this year Qantas, the national airline, featured a picture of a beaming 10-year-old Aborigine girl in an advertising campaign titled "The Spirit of Australia". ... highlights the difficulties companies face in employing Aboriginal imagery. Qantas has used Aboriginal dot painting designs on two of its Boeing 747s, called 'Wunala Dreaming' and 'Nilanji Dreaming'. The company says that it is a leading sponsor of Aboriginal art exhibitions, and has had an employment programme for Aborigines since 1988. Aborigines and Torres Strait Islanders, however, make up just over one per cent of its workforce.
1 2 Megaw, Vincent (March 2002). "Whose Art is it anyway? or Some random thoughts on 20 years of collecting Indigenous Australian art for a small university art museum"(PDF). The Fourth National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Visual Arts Conference - Appendix: Conference Proceedings: 88-94 of 173 pages. Archived from the original(PDF) on 16 August 2008. Retrieved 23 July 2008. [page 92] All too often the art work— and this also goes for whitefella art – becomes so much wall-paper. Jenny Green has written of 'the hegemony of the dot' but sometimes it seems more like the enthralment of the dot. Every now and again the Empire strikes back, whether, small scale, in Turkey Tolson Tjupurrula's 'Two women' story', where the canvass was supplied by a pair of Adidas trainers, an entry in a fund-raiser where a number of artists, both Indigenous and non-Indigenous were invited to contribute artists' statements using sneakers as their medium. Another Indigenous entrant was Bororroloola-born and Flinders University-educated John Moriarty. Moriarty's Balarinji Designs have provided the art work for 'Wunala Dreaming' and its two sister Qantas 747s; the third and most recent design has been supplied by a Pitjitjantjarra woman from Uluru, though with one might still wonder how much of the positive and international feed-back accruing to the airline has benefited the Indigenous community as a whole.
↑ Berry, Esther (2005). "Philip Pullman: Postcolonial Dark Materials, the Daemon and the Search for Indigenous Authenticity"(PDF). Papers from the Buddha of Suburbia: Proceedings of the Eighth Australian and International Religion, Literature and the Arts Conference 2004. 1–3 October 2004. The Sydney eScholarship Repository (University of Sydney) republishing from RLA Press. pp.274–5. Retrieved 23 July 2008. No longer are we stealing children for the study of Dust, but rather we are thieving Indigenous spirituality and traditions that are marketable within the worlds of tourism and advertising; within the world of art where, as cultural theorist, Celia Lury, asserts, 'Dreamings [have] become the new multicultural 'high' gallery art.' As Gobblers, we guzzle down images of Qantas Australiana rhetoric: the company's current advertising campaign, the 'Spirit of Australia', imprinted on the bodies of company airplanes now painted in authentic Indigenous Dreaming designs – Nalanji Dreaming, Wunala Dreaming and the most recent Yananyi Dreaming – while the real bodies of Aborigines as sites of social in[ter]cision, 'power and knowledge' are displaced in national space when they do not correspond with our [post]colonial 'fantasy' of a 'manageable,' 'multicultural' Australia.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
