Aircraft

Australia’s Qantas Airways has placed an order for 65 Boeing 787s, including 10 for its low-cost subsidiary Jetstar, and taken options for an additional 50 aircraft.

The Oneworld carrier says in a statement today it has selected the 787-8 and 787-9 over the Airbus A350 “as the cornerstone of its domestic and international fleet renewal programme”.

The first 787-8 will be delivered in August 2008 to Jetstar, which unveiled plans earlier this month to launch long-haul international services.

The 787-8 will also be operated by Qantas mainline from July 2009. The larger 787-9, offering an extra 50 seats of capacity, will be delivered from 2011.

Qantas says it the 787 will be used to replace its fleet of Boeing 767-300s, which are operated by its mainline division and leisure subsidiary Australian Airlines, as well as to launch new routes.

“The fleet plan will give us a modern fleet offering maximum flexibility, lower seat mile costs and greater fuel efficiency,” says Qantas chairwoman Margaret Jackson.

“The new aircraft are vital for our continued growth in the face of increasing competition in the years head. They will cater for international capacity growth and new routes as well as replacing the Qantas Group’s fleet of widebody Boeing 767-300s.”

Qantas CEO Geoff Dixon says Jetstar will initially operate four A330-200s when it launches long-haul international services in early 2007 but will quickly transition to 787s. Jetstar, which currently operates a fleet of Airbus A320s domestically and to New Zealand, is slated to receive 10 of the 65 787s on firm order with deliveries from August 2008.

“One of our clear priorities is for Jetstar to be ready for international operations by early 2007, with the fastest possible transition to new technology, more efficient aircraft,” says Dixon.

“The 787 is ideal for operating in Asia, as well as the USA and Europe, and with 300 seats will enable both Qantas and Jetstar to closely target markets without compromising efficiency,” says Dixon.

He adds the aircraft will enable Qantas “to fly further to more point-to-point destinations throughout the world at a cost equivalent to operating larger aircraft like the Boeing 747-400”.

Qantas says it will commence next year an engine selection process for its new 787 fleet.