Aviation Club hosts Qantas

Qantas Boss Alan Joyce was in sparkling form as he addressed a crowded Aviation Club lunch at the Institute of Directors last Tuesday.  Please also see 5 March BTN  for a technical insight.

Having arrived the day before on the inaugural QF 17hr non-stop flight from Perth to London the adrenalin was clearly still flowing.  His message was “we’ve done it” but the real aim of the Australian airline was the “final frontier of airline operations by 2022” London to Sydney direct scheduled flights, a mission called “project sunrise”.  He emphasised that the aircraft was “front end heavy”, ideal for revenue, with 46 in Business Class and 28 in a dedicated Premium Economy cabin. 

Qantas are building up experience with the very long-haul Boeing 787-9 and by the end of the year will have taken delivery of all eight on firm current order. 

The word is that decisions will have to be taken next year on the future of the carrier’s 10 Boeing 747s and whether to replace them with more 787 variants it holds options on,  or introduce the ultra-long-range Airbus A350-1000.  Virgin Atlantic has this aircraft on order and with its ever-closer relationship with Delta Airlines, a current Sydney operator, could make an Oz comeback non-stop from the UK in 2019.

www.qantas.com.au

Watch out for CNN’s Richard Quest’s April Business Traveller, said to be unusual.  Quest tells BTN he was on the inaugural but he had to travel to Perth.  How he got there we are not sure!

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