Pilots from Qantas subsidiary Network Aviation to strike next week.

The Australian Federation of Pilots (AFAP) has advised Qantas subsidiary Network Aviation of a two-day work stoppage on Wednesday and Thursday next week.

AFAP members – who make up over 90 per cent of the pilot group employed by Network Aviation – will stop work from 0001 Wednesday 1 November to 23:59 Thursday 2 November.

“It is disappointing that there has not been any indication in the last four weeks that Qantas management might shift its position to bring its WA-based pilots’ wages and conditions into line with those of other Qantas Group pilots,” according to Senior Industrial Officer Chris Aikens.

“Unfortunately, our members at Network Aviation now have no other option but to give notice for lawful protected industrial action.”

After the first 24-hour work stoppage on 4 October, the company put forward another sub-standard offer – without seeking the endorsement of the AFAP which represents the vast majority of the pilot group in the bargaining negotiations – for the entire pilot group to vote on.

After an emphatic rejection of this offer – with 90% of the entire pilot group employed by Network Aviation voting ‘no’ – the next step appears to be a meeting mediated by the Fair Work Commission.

“Qantas management appears unwilling to take control themselves so have shifted the responsibility to the Fair Work Commission,” said Mr Aikens.  “We look forward to what new and revised offering the company proposes to take to the mediation on Monday,” he said.  “We are hoping for the best but planning for the worst.”

A Qantas spokesperson attacked the pilots and union accusing them of acting in bad-faith bargaining and called the action unreasonable.  "This latest strike action from the pilots' union is an unreasonable escalation of the dispute and comes just days after they increased their demands even further. - After originally asking for 50 per cent pay increases, the union is now demanding even more benefits."

Qantas halts take over plans of Alliance following regulatory opposition.

Qantas and Alliance Aviation Services Ltd Alliance have announced the termination of their May 2022 agreement for Qantas to fully acquire the Australian-based charter operator.

Qantas’ acquisition of Alliance was formally opposed by the competition regulator in April 2023. Both companies believe the acquisition would have created customer value without lessening competition in the highly competitive resources sector – particularly through the efficiencies created through a combined fleet of F100 aircraft. However, both companies acknowledge that there is no reasonable path forward for the deal at present.

Qantas will continue to serve the growing resources sector through its existing charter operations; it currently has around 27 per cent of the total charter market.

The Group will retain its shareholding of nearly 20 per cent of Alliance and will continue its long-term agreement that sees Alliance operate up to 30 E190s for the Qantas Group.

Qantas has agreed to exercise options over four additional aircraft under that agreement, which will bring the total number of E190s operated by Alliance for the Qantas Group to 26, with four options remaining. The additional aircraft are expected to join the Qantas fleet from April 2024.

Qantas Group Executive of Associated Airlines and Services John Gissing said: “Alliance is an important partner for the Qantas Group and the E190s have helped us open new routes across Australia. These four new aircraft will provide additional capacity and connectivity in the domestic market.”

Alliance Managing Director Scott McMillan said: “Despite the outcome of the transaction, we look forward to continuing our long-standing and productive relationship with Qantas.”   

Qantas provides market update

The Qantas Group provides the following update to inform the market of a material increase to investment in customer improvements, continued strength in travel demand and the impact of elevated fuel prices.

Customer improvements......

The Group will invest a further $80 million in customer improvements across FY24 in addition to the $150 million previously budgeted, which will be funded from profits.

This additional investment is aimed at addressing a number of customer ‘pain points’ through improvements such as better contact centre resourcing and training, an increase in the number seats that can be redeemed with Frequent Flyer points, more generous recovery support when operational issues arise, a review of longstanding policies for fairness and improvements to the quality of inflight catering.

Qantas is also working to accelerate some initiatives already underway, such as the re-platforming of the Qantas app. More detail on these actions will be shared in coming weeks.

Demand levels.....

Overall travel demand remains strong, with trading conditions in the first quarter of FY24 similar to the last quarter of FY23.

Qantas and Jetstar expect to carry more than 4 million passengers over the September/October school holidays and football finals period on almost 35,000 domestic and international services. This compares with around 3.7 million passengers on approximately 28,000 services over the same four week period last year.

Latest survey data shows that travel remains a top spending priority among Qantas Frequent Flyers over the next six months, well ahead of entertainment, renovations and homewares[1]. The Group greatly appreciates the continued support from customers choosing Qantas and Jetstar.

Fuel, fx......

Qantas releases annual report.....

The Australian airline Qantas has released its most recent annual report at a crucial time in the airline's history when its reputation is falling to an all-time low.  The carrier has recently drawn much criticism for continuing to sell tickets for flights it had already cancelled and not telling passengers of cancelled flights until the last moment, with the ACCC starting legal proceedings in August.  Qantas has also lost a legal battle after the federal court said the airline's replacing redundant grown staff with outsourced staff was illegal. The airline's new chief executive, Vanessa Hudson, has been ordered to attend mediation proceedings with a union chief to now settle compensation and penalty claims.

The airline reported a $2.47 billion underlying profit, while hundreds of customers are still waiting for refunds on axed flights. Its former CEO Alan Joyce was paid $21.4m for his final full year in charge, despite stepping down early.  His pay would have been higher but some of the promised bonuses have been withheld.  The carrier said it might even claw back some more money from Joyce should the reputational crisis continue. 

"We take our obligations under consumer law, and therefore these allegations, very seriously and are working through the legal process now underway. What we can say in the interim is Qantas’ longstanding practice is that when a flight is cancelled, customers are offered an alternative flight or a refund. However, in the interests of good governance, the Board will withhold payments under the FY23 short-term incentive program for senior executives while this matter progresses." said the group's chairman, Richard Goyder in the annual report. 

The airline has also suffered a series of hydraulic technical incidents with its Boeing 737 fleet which have seen passengers stranded on jets for hours. The delays and the reported poor customer service after the events are having a detrimental effect on the carrier's already tarnished reputation. 

FY23-Annual-Report.pdf (qantasnewsroom.com.au)

Qantas Group CEO Alan Joyce retires ahead of schedule as legal action starts against the airline for selling and advertising flights it had already cancelled.

Qantas Group CEO Alan Joyce has retired from the company around two months ahead of schedule the Australian airline has confirmed. 

Joyce said: “In the last few weeks, the focus on Qantas and events of the past make it clear to me that the company needs to move ahead with its renewal as a priority.

The best thing I can do under these circumstances is to bring forward my retirement and hand over to Vanessa and the new management team now, knowing they will do an excellent job.

There is a lot I am proud of over my 22 years at Qantas, including the past 15 years as CEO. There have been many ups and downs, and there is clearly much work still to be done, especially to make sure we always deliver for our customers. But I leave knowing that the company is fundamentally strong and has a bright future,” Mr Joyce said.

As a result, CEO Designate Vanessa Hudson has taken over the Group CEO role and takes on the mantle of Managing Director, ahead of a host of issues that could present problems for the group in the not-too-distant future. 

Qantas Chairman Richard Goyder said: “Alan has always had the best interests of Qantas front and centre. On behalf of the Board, we sincerely thank him for his leadership through some enormous challenges and for thinking well ahead on opportunities like ultra-long-haul travel.

As previously planned, shareholders will formally vote on the appointment of Vanessa Hudson as Managing Director at Qantas’ Annual General Meeting in November.

Some in the Australian aviation industry have indicated the thought that Joyce jumped early after the news broke that the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission confirmed it was taking the airline to task after it was revealed that Qantas advertised and was selling tickets for more than 8,000 flights it had already cancelled in its system.  The ACCC is alleging Qantas was engaged in false, misleading or deceptive conduct in advertising the flights, scheduled between May and July 2022. 

The ACCC said Qantas had continued to sell flights that it had already cancelled on average of more than two weeks, and in some cases for up to 47 days. Equally disturbing is the revelation that Qantas did not notify existing ticketholders that their flights had been cancelled for an average of about 18 days, and in some cases for up to 48 days. 

 ACCC Chair Gina Cass-Gottlieb said: “The ACCC has conducted a detailed investigation into Qantas’ flight cancellation practices. As a result, we have commenced these proceedings alleging that Qantas continued selling tickets for thousands of cancelled flights, likely affecting the travel plans of tens of thousands of people”

“We allege that Qantas’ conduct in continuing to sell tickets to cancelled flights, and not updating ticketholders about cancelled flights, left customers with less time to make alternative arrangements and may have led to them paying higher prices to fly at a particular time not knowing that flight had already been cancelled.”

“There are vast distances between Australia’s major cities. Reliable air travel is essential for many consumers in Australia who are seeking to visit loved ones, take holidays, grow their businesses or connect with colleagues. Cancelled flights can result in significant financial, logistical and emotional impacts for consumers,” Ms Cass-Gottlieb said.

Just a few of the examples of flights allegedly affected as reported ACCC:

Qantas flight QF93 was scheduled to depart from Melbourne to Los Angeles on 6 May 2022. On 28 April 2022, Qantas made the decision to cancel the flight. Despite this, Qantas did not remove the flight from sale until 2 May 2022, and did not inform existing ticketholders of the cancellation until 4 May 2022 (two days before the flight).

Qantas flight QF81 was scheduled to depart from Sydney to Singapore on 4 June 2022. On 8 February 2022, Qantas made the decision to cancel the flight. Despite this, Qantas did not remove the flight from sale until 27 March 2022, and did not inform existing ticketholders of the cancellation until 28 March 2022.

Qantas flight QF63 was scheduled to depart from Sydney to Johannesburg on 31 July 2022. On 8 February 2022, Qantas made the decision to cancel the flight. Despite this, Qantas did not remove the flight from sale until 27 March 2022, and did not inform existing ticketholders of the cancellation until 28 March 2022.

Qantas flight QF486 was scheduled to depart from Melbourne to Sydney on 1 May 2022. On 18 February 2022, Qantas made the decision to cancel the flight. Despite this, Qantas did not remove the flight from sale until 15 March 2022, and did not inform existing ticketholders of the cancellation until 16 March 2022.

Qantas flight QF1785 was scheduled to depart from Gold Coast to Sydney on 1 May 2022. On 17 February 2022, Qantas made the decision to cancel the flight. Despite this, Qantas did not remove the flight from sale until 15 March 2022, and did not inform existing ticketholders of the cancellation until 16 March 2022.

The ACCC has investigated various aspects of Qantas’ conduct over the past three years. It has been engaging with Qantas directly on aspects of its customer service in an effort to get quick and equitable outcomes for consumers, however, the ACCC considers that Qantas needs to do more.

The ACCC continues to receive more complaints about Qantas than about any other business. Last year alone the ACCC received more than 1,300 complaints about Qantas cancellations, accounting for half of all complaints about Qantas reported to the ACCC.

Qantas said it takes these allegations by the ACCC seriously, but instantly tried to belittle the accusations by the ACCC by saying 'the period examined by the ACCC between May and July 2022 was a time of unprecedented upheaval for the entire airline industry'  Qantas also blamed it on COVID, saying it had struggled to restart following the pandemic "We openly acknowledge that our service standards fell well short and we sincerely apologise. We have worked hard to fix them since and that work continues."

"We will examine the details of the ACCC’s allegations and respond to them in full in court." the carrier said.

Virgin Australia boss blames sky high fares on lack of competition....

According to reports from Down Under, the boss of the budget airline Virgin Australia is blaming the sky-high airfares in Australia firmly on the government for quashing competition in favour of national carrier Qantas. 

Jayne Hrdlicka released a video to staff commentating on the Australian government's decision not to allow the Doha-based Qatar Airways to operate more flights to and from Australia to help keep pace with demand.    

The video was leaked to Daily Mail Australia and shows Hrdlicka telling employees that the ban makes no sense and that restricting the number of international flights was pushing up the price of flights, which in some cases are now double.

The Australian economy was also being detrimentally affected by the decision as fewer tourists are returning to Australia due to the high fares and lack of capacity,  Hrdlicka contested in the video. 

Qatar's ability to easily operate extra flights would dramatically improve the situation but the request had been rejected by the federal government meaning bad news for Australia and Virgin Australia - a service partner of Qatar Airways. 

Australia's transport minister Catherine Knight denied the request from Qatar Airways to operate 28 additional flights, claiming in Parliament it was 'not in the national interest'.

Yet it follows from the news that Qantas boss Alan Joyce voiced his opposition to the move to his friend the Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese. It was then that the cabinet blocked it according to some reports.

Relations of Anthony Albanese have recently received free hospitality from the national airline, including the PM's son Nathan and girlfriend Jodie Haydon given free membership of the Qantas Chairman's Lounge.

Qantas' Joyce defended the airline's complete opposition to Qatar's request saying 'What we said when it came to Qatar...was there shouldn’t be rights granted when there’s a huge amount of capacity being put back into the market".  Qantas has just announced a multi-million dollar order for more long-haul jets from Boeing and recently reported a profit of  $2.5 billion whilst a number of staff have had to take second jobs to supplement their income.  

Qantas' service partner is the Dubai-based Emirates Airlines, which hasn't had any capacity requests turned down by the Australian government.   

Qantas orders four 787-9 and eight 787-10 aircraft from Boeing

Qantas nearly doubles Boeing 787 Dreamliner fleet with order for 12 widebody jets

Boeing and the Qantas Group have confirmed they have signed a deal on a four 787-9 and eight 787-10 jets to provide a pivotal role in the Australian airline's global growth strategy to reduce its carbon emissions. 

"This is another multi-billion-dollar investment in the national carrier, and it's great news for our customers and our people," said Alan Joyce, Qantas Group CEO. "The 787 and the GE engines fitted to them, are thoroughly proven and extremely capable."

These jets are also capable of flying on a blend of Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF), an important pathway to reducing emissions, which is common with most of the modern Qantas jet fleet. The new order is part of Qantas' major fleet renewal programme that is significantly increasing the carrier's overall fuel efficiency each year.

"The 787 Dreamliner is central to Qantas' unwavering commitment to operate one of the most sustainable and capable fleets in the airline industry," said Stan Deal, president and CEO of Boeing Commercial Airplanes. 

Capable of flying an expansive international route network, the operating economics of the 787 family enables Qantas to open new routes and add more flights to its existing network. The 787-9 can fly up to 7,565 nautical miles (14,010 km) connecting Australia to North America and Europe. The larger 787-10 with a range of 6,330 nautical miles (11,730 km), will enable the airline to serve many popular international and regional routes. Currently, Qantas has a fleet of 14 787-9 jets. 

Qantas to increase capacity on many routes....

The Qantas Group is currently operating at around 80 per cent of its pre-COVID international capacity levels, which has almost doubled in the past year, and has announced a massive increase in future capacity. 

The airline is adding more capacity on a number of routes including New York, Los Angeles, Johannesburg and Bali. Qantas expects it to reach 100% of pre-covid levels by March of next year.

Qantas has received three long-awaited Boeing 787s in recent months and is gradually able to return more of its Airbus A380s to service as they complete post-storage maintenance, which is enabling flying levels to steadily increase to meet strong travel demand.

 

New flying 

The national carrier is publishing more than 250,000 additional seats* to and from Australia that includes:

Sydney-Bali – larger Airbus A330 aircraft will replace daily Boeing 737 flights from October this year with more premium seats and fully-flat beds in Business Class.

Sydney-Auckland-New York – following the successful launch of the new route in June this year, flights will increase from four per week to daily from August 2024.

Sydney-Johannesburg – for the first time Qantas A380s will operate to South Africa from July 2024, nearly doubling capacity during peak periods.

Melbourne-Los Angeles – capacity will increase by around 20 per cent with more A380 flights on the route from July 2024.

Sydney-Los Angeles – flights will increase from eight to nine per week from July 2024, operated with a mix of 787 and A380 aircraft.

Qantas International CEO Cam Wallace said the additional flying would help support the sustained demand for international travel and provide a boost to the tourism industry.  “Hundreds of thousands of extra seats on our network is great news for our customers planning their next overseas trip,” said Mr Wallace.

“We know our customers are looking for great value and this additional capacity will put more downward pressure on fares.  The additional capacity will largely be made possible through our final two A380s returning to the Qantas fleet following heavy maintenance and cabin improvements.” 

More changes....

Sydney-Shanghai resuming in late October, operating for the first time in more than three years.

Brisbane-Honiara and Brisbane-Wellington launching in late October.

The best airlines for business class...

The Business Travel Index from Tipalti has analyzed factors such as service, lounge facilities, seat comfort and inflight entertainment, to reveal the airlines to travel on in business class. 

The top 10 best airlines for those travelling business class: 

Rank	Airline	Average Lounge Score	Average Seat Score	Average Inflight Score	Overall Score
1	Oman Air	4	5	3.5	8.39
2	Cathay Pacific Airways	4	4.8	3.75	8.28
3	EVA Air	4	4.6	4	7.93
4	Qatar Airways	4	4.2	4	7.7
5	Vistara	3.75	4.6	4	7.47
6	Japan Airlines	3.8	4	4	7.24
7	Asiana Airlines	4	2.8	3.75	6.09
8	Kenya Airways	4	4.8	2.75	6.09
9	Qantas Airways	3.8	3.8	3.25	5.98
10	Singapore Airlines	3.4	3	4	5.75

Topping the list of best business-class airlines is Oman Air, with an overall score of 8.39. The airline is based at Muscat International Airport and travels to over 50 destinations, including the likes of Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Egypt. 

Oman Air scores 5/5 across the board when it comes to its aircraft’s business-class seats, making it the highest-scoring airline in this category. It also receives 4/5 in areas such as staff service (both inflight and in the lounge), inflight entertainment, and lounge catering.

Following closely behind is Cathay Pacific Airways, which receives an overall score of 8.28. It is the largest airline in Hong Kong, with its head office located at Hong Kong International Airport. The airline provides flights to over 60 destinations, such as Seoul, Dubai, and Johannesburg.

Cathay Pacific Airways scores 4/5 for the comfort of its seats (both sitting and sleeping), as well as for their width and length, meaning those travelling long haul can rest comfortably. The airline also scores highly for its catering options in lounges, which include The Teahouse in the Pier Business lounge and Noodle Bar in the Wing Business lounge, both located at Hong Kong International Airport.

In third place is EVA Air, with an overall score of 7.93. It is one of the two largest airlines in Taiwan and has hubs in both Taoyuan International Airport and Kaohsiung International Airport. The airline flies to 30 different countries, including Thailand, Japan, and China.

EVA Air scores no less than 4/5 across all three categories, receiving 4 for both its lounges and inflight services and 4.6 for its seats. The airline scores 5/5 for the sitting comfort, width, and length of its seats, meaning that anyone choosing to travel with EVA Air is guaranteed to have a comfortable and relaxing experience when travelling long distances.

Ultimate Business Travel Index | Tipalti

Qantas paints political message on aircraft

The Australian national carrier Qantas is painting political messages on some of its aircraft the airline confirmed this week.  So far it has placed a special livery on three of its planes to support the YES vote in an upcoming referendum for an Indigenous Voice to Parliament.

Whilst cabin crew are actively discouraged from voicing political opinions whilst on duty, the airline says the Yes23 campaign logo, will be carried on at least three aircraft: a Qantas Boeing 737, a QantasLink Dash 8 Turboprop and a Jetstar Airbus A320.

The outgoing Qantas Group CEO Alan Joyce claims support for an Indigenous Voice to Parliament was part of the airline's commitment to reconciliation and, more broadly, the notion of a ‘fair go’.  "Qantas has a long history of supporting reconciliation with First Nations people, from the Aboriginal artwork on our inflight magazine in the 1960s and on our aircraft since the 1990s, to our support for constitutional recognition in 2014, public support of the Uluru Statement of the Heart 2019, and our First Nations employment and supplier commitments," he said. 

Joyce added:  "We’re supporting the Yes23 campaign because we believe a formal voice to the government will help close the gap for First Nations people in important areas like health, education and employment."

Top leadership changes at The Qantas Group as a new focus on renewal takes shape.

The Qantas Group has recently announced a number of changes to its group management committee as part of its focus on renewal. The changes include senior appointments to roles made vacant by retirements and promotions, as well as structural changes the company is introducing to focus on areas of major investment, including human resources and customer experience.

The key changes include

Creation of a dedicated Chief People Officer.

New Chief Financial Officer

Rob Marcolina, the current Qantas Group Executive of Strategy, People and Technology,  will move to the role of New Chief Financial Officer, made vacant once current CFO Vanessa Hudson takes on the Group CEO role.

New CEO of Qantas Domestic – following the retirement of Andrew David in September, current Chief Customer Officer, Markus Svensson, will take on this position. Markus has been with Qantas for over a decade and has broad experience across revenue management, network, sales, alliances, offshore operations and strategy.

New Chief Customer and Digital Officer – Catriona Larritt, who has been with the Group since 2015, will take on this position. Responsibility for Technology will be added to this portfolio, reflecting the role of digital in improving customer experience. Catriona is currently Executive Manager of Qantas Freight and was formerly Chief Commercial Officer at Jetstar.

New CEO of QantasLink – current CEO of QantasLink, John Gissing, will retire from this position in November after almost 25 years in a number of roles within the Qantas Group. An executive search process is underway to fill this position, which has responsibility for regional and some charter market operations. John will remain available to the Group CEO for a further 12 months as an adviser.

Creation of a Chief Risk Officer – this will bring together risk management for the Group as a whole, to provide the highest level of oversight and governance. Current Qantas Executive, Andrew Monaghan, will step into this role. Andrew is currently Executive Manager of Safety and has deep operational experience gained during a 17-year career at the Group, including as Chief Operating Officer for Qantas and QantasLink, in addition to roles in audit and HR.

Qantas sets up discriminatory pricing system

Trade partners of Australian airline Qantas are set to benefit from an extension to the airline’s lower pricing initiative when booking fares through Qantas’ next-generation distribution platform.

From 29 August 2023, Australian and New Zealand-based travel agents will be able to take advantage of discounted trans-Tasman fares by up to 5% via the Qantas Distribution Platform (QDP), compared to other indirect booking systems or other agencies and networks. At this stage, it is unknown how much of the discount will be passed on to customers.  

The initiative is an extension of the discounted Australian domestic fares that were implemented last November.  The QDP was designed to modernise the service that trade partners provide to customers with a wider range of products, features and capabilities.

Since its launch, Qantas has continued to invest in the capabilities of the QDP, releasing special offers and new revenue opportunities, growing its network of Technology Partners and expanding the program internationally.

Qantas Executive Manager of Global Sales and Distribution Igor Kwiatkowski said the extension of the lowering pricing initiative will continue to reward travel agents and customers using the QDP.

“We’ve continued to invest in and modernise our distribution capabilities to the highest industry standards and we’re committed to providing agents with richer content so they can better serve our mutual customers,” said Mr Kwiatkowski.

Qantas has resumed seasonal flights direct from Perth to Rome

The leading Australian international carrier, Qantas, resumes seasonal flights direct from Perth to Rome for the second year running.  The flights will operate three days per week with the airline’s Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft until 3 October 2023, offering more than 22,000 seats between Australia and Italy over a four-month period.  The route remains the only direct flight between Australia and continental Europe offered by any airline. Customers travelling in Business class from Rome to Perth will be offered limited-edition Qantas amenity kits, launched in partnership with Tourism Western Australia, featuring the artwork of Western Australian Wongi artist Kevin Wilson.

The national carrier has also confirmed it will operate the service for a third year, with flights for 2024 to go on sale in early July. Qantas International CEO Cameron Wallace said the airline was pleased to be carrying Australians direct to Rome for another summer in Europe.

“Our Perth – Rome route was one of the most popular across our international network last year and bookings show that it’s shaping to be that way again,” said Mr Wallace.

“We also saw many customers using Rome as a gateway to continental Europe, connecting onwards with our network of partners, with Sicily, Athens and Barcelona being amongst the top destinations last year.

“The route is fantastic for tourism operators across Western Australia, not just because of the influx of visitors we’ve seen from Italy, but also because it promotes Perth as a stopover for Australians travelling to Europe from the east coast.

“One of the trends we’ve seen emerge post-COVID is that preference for direct flights is higher than ever. Strong customer demand for our long-haul international routes has given us the confidence to commit to a third season in 2024.”

Customers can connect from Rome to 16 destinations in Europe including Geneva, Nice and Madrid and 14 destinations within Italy including Milan and Venice. A “circle fare” also allows Qantas customers to fly into Rome and return to Australia from London on the one ticket.

In 2022, Italy was ranked as Western Australia’s 11th largest international market for visitors, up from 23rd largest in 2019.

Premier of Western Australia Roger Cook has welcomed the resumption of direct flights linking Perth and Rome, saying they have proven to a be a game-changer for the State’s economy.

“From keen travellers to Western Australians with strong family ties to Italy, all will welcome being able to step off at Perth Airport then set foot in the eternal city.  The resumption of what has proved to be a very popular flight has obvious economic and cultural benefits for our State.  Linking Perth and Rome with direct flights enables us to deliver on our strategy to diversify our economy and support jobs across a range of sectors, including tourism and hospitality.

This is further proof of our State’s reputation as the Western Gateway.”

Qantas completes incremental order for nine more Airbus A220 aircraft

Qantas has just finalised an incremental order for nine Airbus A220-300s, taking its backlog for the single-aisle type to 29 aircraft. The A220 was originally selected by Qantas as part of a major fleet replacement programme announced in May 2022, which also included orders for the A321XLR and A350-1000. The carrier had announced its intention to order the additional A220s in February this year.

Qantas will take delivery of its first A220 at the end of this year and will operate the type primarily on its extensive domestic route network. Combining latest generation technologies and a wider, quieter cabin for extra comfort, the A220 can fly further than other aircraft in its size category, while also bringing a step-change reduction in fuel consumption and emissions. 

Christian Scherer, Airbus Chief Commercial Officer and Head of Airbus International said: "We are pleased to announce this incremental order from Qantas. Best in class, the A220 will be the perfect platform for a domestic network that includes everything from short hops to flights of five hours and beyond. Combining efficiency, comfort and longer range, the A220 will also contribute from Day 1 to the carrier’s far-reaching Climate Action Plan.”

Finnair to lease two Airbus A330 aircraft to Qantas

The Oneworld alliance airline based in Helsinki, Finnair has agreed to lease two Airbus A330 jets to Australian oneworld partner airline, Qantas for four and a half years.

Initially, the two A330's will be wet-leased (aircraft, crew, insurance) to the Qantas (aircraft and crew) for two years, after that the jets will be on a dry lease (aircraft only) to the Australian airline for 2 and half years.  

The deal has been struck as Finnair has been hard hit by the closure of Russian airspace which has resulted in longer reroutes for some of its long-haul flights. These A330s loads have been limited because of the increased time and range the reroutes are range limited by the rerouting. 

During the wet lease period, the aircraft will be deployed in Qantas’ network on routes from Sydney and Singapore as well as Sydney and Bangkok. Finnair pilots will fly scheduled Finnair flights from Helsinki to Singapore and from Helsinki to Bangkok; then, they will continue flying scheduled Qantas flights between Singapore, Bangkok and Sydney before returning to their home base in Helsinki. 

The cabin crew are provided by Finnair partners based in Singapore and Bangkok, and the aircraft maintenance is performed by Finnair partners at the Qantas destinations. Finnair has secured sufficient pilot resources to match its fleet size, including the aircraft leased to Qantas. The Qantas agreement does not impact the number of cabin crew at Finnair, as they are fully deployed in other operations.