The first Qantas Airbus A220 was unveiled on November 15 and caused a stir due to its special paintwork, done in an aboriginal scheme and shades of green and blue, as opposed to the well-known red.
The aircraft is the first of 29 that will be delivered to the Australian group and will be operated by QuantasLink from the end of the year.
The A220 was chosen as a replacement for the Boeing 717, jets based on the McDonnell Douglas MD-95. They will be equipped with 137 seats, 10 in Business Class and 127 in Economy. In addition, they will offer twice the range of their predecessor.
According to Qantas, the aircraft registration VH-X4A spent two weeks in the paint shop in Canada to apply the special paint scheme, part of the traditional Flying Art Series, launched by the airline in 1994 with a Boeing 747.
“These aircraft have the potential to change the way our customers travel across the country, with the ability to connect any two cities or towns in Australia,” said Vanessa Hudson, Qantas Group CEO.
“That means faster and more convenient travel for business trips and exciting new possibilities for holiday travel. A whole new fleet type also means a lot of opportunities for our people to operate and look after these aircraft.”
The A220 will be the 12th new jet received by Qantas in the last 12 months, including eight Airbus A321LRs and three Boeing 787 Dreamliners.
Qantas is scheduled to have another six similar jets delivered by mid-2025. The carrier is also expecting the first A321XLR within 12 months.
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In the company’s air network, the A220 will have the mission to serve the hubs of Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney, being able to fly to any city in Australia, thanks to more than 6,000 km of range.
