Qantas takes delivery of its first A220 to replace Boeing 717 jets

Australia’s national carrier has taken delivery of its first new generation A220, becoming the 20th operator of the type. The aircraft is the first of 29 A220s ordered by the Qantas Group for operation by QantasLink, their regional airline that services metropolitan and regional destinations across Australia.

Featuring a unique livery based on an Aboriginal artwork, the aircraft will depart the Airbus final assembly line in Mirabel in the coming days for a delivery flight to Sydney, with stops in Vancouver, Honolulu and Nadi.

The A220 will gradually replace the existing 717 fleet at QantasLink. Flying twice as far, the A220 can connect any two points across Australia non-stop, while also bringing a significant 25% reduction in fuel consumption and carbon emissions compared to previous-generation aircraft.

The A220 also has the largest cabin, seats and windows in its class, offering passengers superior comfort. With a total of 137 seats, Qantas’ A220s will be configured in a two class layout seating 10 passengers in business and 127 in economy.

Specifically designed for the 100-150 seat segment, the A220 is the most modern airliner in its size category. Powered by the latest generation Pratt & Whitney GTF™ engines, it can fly up to 3,450 nautical miles or 6,390 kilometres non-stop. 

As with all Airbus aircraft, the A220 is already able to operate with up to 50% Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF). Airbus aims for all its aircraft to be capable of operating with 100% SAF by 2030. 

Airbus has received close to 850 orders from 30 customers for the A220, of which over 300 have been delivered worldwide.

A Delta Boeing 717 lands with nose gear up.

FAA and NTSB investigations are underway into how a Delta Boeing 717 jet landed with its nose gear retracted at Charlotte-Douglas International Airport (CLT) Wednesday morning.

The crew of Delta flight 1092 received a “nose gear unsafe” indication as they were coming in to land and immediately initiated a missed approach procedure to further investigate the indication.  During those procedures, reports say the crew flew by the air traffic control tower to enable controllers to make a visual inspection of the aircraft and see if the gear had come down. According to reports, the controllers advised that whilst the nose landing gear doors were open, the actual nose gear itself remained in the up position. 

The flight from Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport landed at Charlotte-Douglas International Airport with the nose gear up, at 8:58 a.m. EDT. Delta reported that the aircraft stayed on the runway during the landing and that there was no reported injuries to either passengers or crew.

A spokesperson said:  “Our focus is now to take care of our customers on this flight, including retrieving their bags and seeing them to their final destinations safely,” Delta said in a statement. “We apologize to our customers for what they experienced.” 

The airline has already deployed a TechOps aircraft recovery team as well as a flight safety team to Charlotte and was cooperating with the FAA and NTSB.  

In total, there were 96 passengers and 5 crew on the aircraft at the time of the incident. One of the passengers spoke to local media Channel 9:  "The crew told us there was an issue with the landing gear and instructed us to go over safety information. We came in low once and then climbed again. Second time had us brace but the landing was smooth. No jarring or even loud noises. We were in the back so that may have been why. Everyone evacuated via slides. No injuries as far as I know. Crew and pilots were wonderful!"

Plane lands at Charlotte airport without nose gear extended, Delta says – WSOC TV

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Delta Air Lines' Boeing 717-2BD (Reg. N955AT), performing flight #DL1092 from #Atlanta to #Charlotte, landed at Charlotte, NC (CLT / KCLT) airport this morning with the nose landing gear retracted. ✈️

View #DL1092's data at https://t.co/9l2qqfLFlZ

📸: @parks3811… pic.twitter.com/0u8SBskV3A

— RadarBox (@RadarBoxCom) June 28, 2023

.A video taken by a passenger inside the aircraft seems to show no wheel shadow on the ground as the aircraft came in and then a rather smooth landing.  

pic.twitter.com/tgS0H49obG

— Breaking Aviation News & Videos (@aviationbrk) June 28, 2023

Hawaiian Airlines delays Boeing 787 deliveries whilst keeping the interisland 717s flying at least for the next five years

Hawaiian Airlines advised recently that during October 2020, it had reached an agreement with aircraft maker Boeing to push back the deliveries of the firms remaining ordered 787-9.  The airline now expects to take delivery of 787-9 aircraft from 2022 to 2026 with its first aircraft to be delivered in September 2022.

The Honolulu-based airline is currently undergoing a cost reduction and financial recapitalisation programme as it gets to grips with much lower demand because of the ongoing coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic. It recently raised approximately $114 million through the sale and leaseback of two Airbus A321neo aircraft.    Approximately $262 million additionally was raised through the issuance of Enhanced Equipment Trust Certificates backed by two Airbus A330 aircraft and six Airbus A321neo aircraft.  

Queensland schedules enhanced says Qantas

Leading Australian airline Qantas announced recently that it will add more seats and frequencies across its Queensland network to meet growing demand for business and holiday travel.

From 31 March 2019, the national carrier will boost capacity on key routes in Queensland offering more than 2600 additional seats per week compared with the same time this year.

Eleven additional return flights will be added each week between Brisbane and Cairns.
Qantas will extend the use of larger Airbus A330s on selected flights from Cairns to Sydney and Melbourne. These aircraft offer 28 premium business seats dubbed ‘mini First Class’ by some frequent flyers, with fast, free wi-fi rolling out across the fleet.

Weekday flights between Sydney and Sunshine Coast will increase from daily to double daily, with the total weekly return flights increasing from 8 to 13.

Weekday flights between Brisbane and Mount Isa to return to a double-daily service in response to community feedback, operated by QantasLink’s 125-seat Boeing 717 aircraft, increasing the weekly return services from 9 to 13.

Six additional return flights between Brisbane and Townsville per week.

Changes to Northern Territory air services from Qantas

The leading Australian airline Qantas is making a series of changes to its Northern Territory network with new routes, schedule changes, bigger aircraft and discounted fares for some residents. 

The changes include:

New routes

Qantas will launch two new routes to Uluru (Ayers Rock Airport) from both Darwin and Adelaide. Flights will operate twice per week on both routes with a Boeing 737 aircraft.

Network changes

In response to feedback from local businesses, government and the tourism industry, flights between Alice Springs and Darwin will be upgraded from a Boeing 717 to a 737 aircraft, an increase of up to 1,300 seats per week on the route. The change means customers will have the option to travel in Business Class and introduce in-flight entertainment, including fast, free WiFi on selected flights.

Flights between Perth and Darwin will operate daily, year-round (down from eleven per week during peak season), and flights between Perth and Alice Springs will move from daily to two per week.

Jetstar will increase flights between Cairns and Darwin from 4 per week to daily during peak season while Qantas will cease flights on the route.

Qantas will cease flights between Cairns and Alice Springs. Connections are available for customers to fly between Cairns and Alice Springs via Uluru.

These new routes and network changes will start from 31 March 2019 and are on sale now.