Tomorrow Australia’s Qantas will announce a huge order for Airbus planes.
The announcement will be made in Sydney (Australian time) and is expected to reveal that Qantas will order 12 A350-1000s, 20 long range A321XLRs and 20 A220s.
But that’s not all.
Reuters quotes a Western Australian source saying that Qantas has purchase rights for an additional 106 aircraft (presumably these are Airbus planes).
What does this Airbus order mean for Qantas’ customers?
In short, it will enable Qantas to launch non-stop flights from Sydney to London by mid-2025 with plans to operate non-stop to other European capitals (as part of ‘Project Sunrise’).
Ordering those long range A321XLRs will enable Qantas to operate more efficiently (and probably more frequently) to a range of destinations in SE Asia and the Asia Pacific area. (Just as these narrow-body aircraft are changing the way we in Europe cross the Atlantic).
What about those A220s?
Until now I have heard nothing but praise for the A220s on account of their passenger appeal. These aircraft are already in service with several European airlines and most notably Swiss.
I envisage the A220s raising the bar for Qantas’ many domestic routes.
As one can imagine there is much excitement at Airbus.
An Air Baltic A220 has already arrived in Sydney (after several refuelling stops).
While yesterday (French time) one of its A350-1000s departed Toulouse for Perth. Airbus had placed a Qantas decal over the fuselage.
This particular A350-1000 is to remain overnight in Perth before flying down to Sydney in time for the announcement tomorrow (Sydney time).
Further details will emerge in the coming days.
