Low-cost carrier Jetstar has had the deliveries of its Boeing 787 Dreamliners delayed by six months to as late as 2013.
The low-cost subsidiary of Australia's Qantas Airways had last expected to receive its first 787 in mid-2012, but the carrier was informed by Boeing of a six-month delay, says Jetstar group CEO Bruce Buchanan.
Qantas has 50 787s on order and half of these are expected to be allocated to Jetstar. In July 2010, Qantas reached an agreement with Boeing to bring forward the delivery of eight 787-8s for Jetstar to mid-2012.
Despite the delay, Buchanan says the airline's long-haul plans will not be affected as Jetstar will be able to fall back on its Airbus A330 deliveries. It expects four more A330s to arrive before the 787 deliveries begin, he adds.
Singapore-based Jetstar Asia recently began long-haul A330 flights to Melbourne and plans to commence flights to Auckland. It expects to receive three more A330s this year for the Auckland flights and new services to destinations that have yet to be announced.
The Jetstar group operates a fleet of 77 aircraft currently, across its operations in Australia, Singapore and Vietnam.
Source: Air Transport Intelligence news
