Summary
- Qantas Airways is close to finalizing an order for new Boeing 787-10 Dreamliners, which would be the first of its kind for the airline.
- The new Dreamliners would replace Qantas' aging Airbus A330 jets, setting up a direct competition between Boeing and Airbus.
- The order for the Dreamliners is part of Qantas' Project Sunrise initiative, which aims to expand its long-haul travel capabilities and launch nonstop flights from Australia to Europe and New York by late 2025.
The flag carrier of Australia, Qantas Airways, is reportedly close to completing an order for several new aircraft. The airline is looking to purchase an unspecified number of Boeing 787-10 Dreamliners. Industry sources told Investing.com that the order for new Dreamliners could be announced as early as this current month, although no decision is final until the airline board reaches approval.
Continued success for Qantas Dreamliners
Currently, Qantas operates 14 Boeing 787-9 variants. It does not currently operate any 787-10s, so this future order would be the first of its kind. The 787-10 model is a stretched version of the 787-9 that has a slightly shorter range.
The incoming Chief Executive Officer of Qantas, Vanessa Hudson, said back in June that it would soon kickstart a competition to replace aging Airbus A330 jets by the end of the year. The Boeing 787 is a direct competitor of the Airbus A330.
Qantas originally purchased its first Boeing 787s in 2005. This would lead to the eventual review of Airbus's widebody strategy. The original order in 2005 was for eight aircraft with 15 options of the Boeing 787-9 variant. The airline would continue utilizing the 787-9 variant and would purchase an additional six in May 2018. The 2018 order was meant to replace all the Qantas Boeing 747s that were still in service.
However, in 2022, Qantas announced a landmark deal for 12 Airbus A350-1000s. These aircraft are the largest widebody jet that is capable of flights from Sydney to London and Sydney to New York, and the airline is set to take delivery of these aircraft beginning in 2025. This purchase order was part of the airline's Project Sunrise, which is an attempt to expand its ultra-long-haul travel across the world. A new Boeing 787 order would swing the airline back to being majority Boeing long-haul aircraft.
Boeing and Airbus each did not immediately respond for comment, and Qantas declined to comment on the matter.
Project Sunrise continues
The Project Sunrise initiative was originally developed in 2017, although it was halted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Qantas planned to launch a new array of flights that would depart from Australia and travel to almost any location in the world. The airline would utilize the east coast of Australia to fly nonstop to both Europe and New York. The inaugural flights, Sydney to London and New York, are set to take place in late 2025.
Because of the flights set to take place from Sydney to London, Qantas has also invested over AU$100 million ($68.82) in various lounge upgrades at London Heathrow International Airport (LHR). The first class lounge at Heathrow will open in late 2025 to line up with the first flights of Project Sunrise.
The airline is looking to utilize a revamped Airbus A350-1000 aircraft for the set of long-haul flights. The outline for the new cabins includes only 238 total seats, which is the lowest seat count of any A350-1000 in service. The cabin includes 6 first class suites, 52 business suites, 40 premium economy seats, and 140 seats. The cabins have been luxuriously crafted to ensure the passenger has total comfort on what will be some of the longest flights in the world.