'Vegemite'? Qantas holds competition to name eight new Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner planes

Qantas will take delivery of its first Dreamliner later this year and the Australian carrier needs help naming the eight new Boeing 787-9s.

Among the suggestions put forward by staff at Australia's national airline were Uluru, Kakadu, Great Barrier Reef.... and Vegemite.

The public competition, which started on Sunday, asked people to suggest up to eight names for the new aircraft.

"They can be people, places or things, so long as they reflect the true Spirit of Australia," Qantas CEO Alan Joyce said.

"Whether it's a notable person, a group-breaking invention, a saying or a landmark, we want eight icons that together, reflect the depth and breadth of this place we all call home."Although the likelihood of an aircraft being named after a thick, brown food spread, seems slim - it isn't totally beyond the realm of possibility. In 2016 the name "Boaty McBoatface" topped an online poll that sought to name the UK's newest polar research vessel, beating entries that honoured scientists and explorers.

Britain's Natural Environment Research Council had asked for help finding a name that would reflect the £200 million ($AU349 million) ship's mission and celebrate British naval history.

But Boaty McBoatface won with 124,109 votes - more than three times its closest contender. It was later changed to RRS Sir David Attenborough.

New polar research ship to be named RRS Sir David Attenborough in tribute to a great broadcaster & natural scientist

Qantas will receive its first 787-9 in October 2017, with passengers flying from Melbourne to Los Angeles among the first to experience the Dreamliner when the inaugural international service takes off in December.