SYDNEY 3 May 2018: Qantas announced, Tuesday, an order for six additional Boeing 787-9s that will serve its international network.
The order will bring its fleet of Dreamliners to 14 by the end of 2020.
The arrival of the new aircraft will accelerate the planned retirement for its last six Boeing 747s – an aircraft type that has been in its fleet in various forms since 1971.
Qantas Group CEO Alan Joyce said the announcement was an important moment for the national carrier.
“This really is the end of one era and the start of another. The jumbo has been the backbone of Qantas International for more than 40 years and we’ve flown almost every type that Boeing built. It’s fitting that its retirement is going to coincide with our centenary in 2020,” Joyce said.
The 787 has already made its mark opening up the new Perth to London route and will be used for destinations in the Americas, Asia, South Africa and Europe.
To date, Qantas has taken delivery of four 787-9s with a further four due to arrive by the end of 2018. The six announced today will arrive between late 2019 and mid-to-late 2020.
