Qantas Group on Monday confirmed that it will order 12 Airbus A350-1000s, 20 A220s, and 20 A321XLRs to advance plans for launching the industry's longest flights and renewing its domestic fleet. An announcement of Qantas's board approval for the order came during a ceremony in Sydney attended by Qantas Group CEO Alan Joyce and Airbus chief commercial officer Christian Scherer.
Qantas chose the A350-1000s as the centerpiece of Project Sunrise, which calls for the launch of the industry’s longest flights starting in 2025 including services linking Sydney and Melbourne with destinations such as London and New York non-stop for the first time ever.
Domestically, Qantas will start the renewal of its narrowbody fleet as part of Project Winton with firm orders for 20 Airbus A321XLRs and 20 A220-300s in favor of its outgoing Boeing 737s and 717s. Schedules call for the first of the Airbus aircraft to start arriving in late 2023. The order includes purchase-right options for another 94 aircraft for delivery to at least 2034.
The agreement adds to an existing order for 109 A320neo-family aircraft, which includes the A321XLR for low-cost subsidiary Jetstar.
Qantas said benefits for customers include more direct routes and, particularly on domestic and regional routes, more choice of flights at different times of day due to different size aircraft for peak and off-peak times.
“New types of aircraft make new things possible, said Joyce. “That’s what makes today’s announcement so significant for the national carrier and for a country like Australia where air travel is crucial.
“We have come through the other side of the pandemic a structurally different company. Our domestic market share is higher and the demand for direct international flights is even stronger than it was before Covid. The business case for Project Sunrise has an internal rate of return in the mid-teens.”