Qantas is planning to replace its ageing A330s which on average are almost 17 years old. Qantas chief financial officer and CEO-designate Vanessa Hudson confirmed that the order for new aircraft will most likely be placed in the H2 of 2023. She was speaking during a media briefing at International Air Transport Association AGM in Istanbul.
“The one thing that we are hearing from speaking to the manufacturers and other airlines is that there is a significant demand for wide-body aircraft and many campaigns coming into the market over the next six months. It's very important that we make sure that we are able to negotiate the best outcome for Qantas, and also reserve the slots which are filling up really quickly,” Hudson added.
Experts claim that Qantas will replace the fleet most likely by Airbus next-gen A330neo aircraft or Boeing 787 Dreamliner which are the most likely choices as Qantas’ A330-200 and A330-300 aircraft are configured in 271 and 297 seat in a two-class configuration.
Meanwhile, Qantas will operate its fleet of 10 Airbus A380 aircraft for at least the upcoming decade, according to its chief executive, Alan Joyce. All aircraft of the type will be operational by 2024, Joyce added, which is slightly earlier than previously expected.
Qantas currently flies seven aircraft of the type, with one currently under maintenance and two stored at Abu Dhabi International Airport (AUH). Qantas previously announced that the A380 currently in maintenance will join the carrier’s network by the end of the year, with the airline expanding its international network starting October 2023.