‘Most complex design ever’: Qantas unveils its first Airbus A220
Qantas passengers travelling to Canberra and other smaller cities from Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane will soon be on board Airbus A220s, with the first of the fleet out of the paint shop featuring new livery.
The first Qantas A220 at Airbus’ facility in Mirabel, Canada.
The 29 QantasLink A220s will begin arriving in Australia by the end of this year and will replace the ageing Boeing 717s as part of the long-awaited rollout of the carrier group’s fleet renewal program, Project Winton.
Qantas’ A220-300, the larger of the two A220 variants available, seats 137 passengers in a two-cabin configuration, with just 10 business class seats, and will launch on the Melbourne-to-Canberra route before being expanded to the rest of the QantasLink route map. The first is expected to be operating by the end of this year, with six others due to arrive by mid-2025
The A220 aircraft features the artwork of senior Pitjantjatjara artist Maringka Baker.
Qantas boss Vanessa Hudson said the new fleet would change the possibilities of domestic travel. Airbus A220s have almost double the range of Boeing 717s and produce 25 per cent less CO2 compared to Qantas’ outgoing fleet.
“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 Ms Hudson.
Qantas said it was the most complex livery Airbus had ever completed for this aircraft type and is made up of more than 20,000 dots.
“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 first A220 spent two weeks being painted as part of the businesses Flying Art Series which was launched in the 1990s with Indigenous Australian design agency Balarinji.
The A220 aircraft features the artwork of senior Pitjantjatjara artist Maringka Baker. Qantas said it was the most complex livery Airbus had ever completed for this aircraft type and is made up of more than 20,000 dots.
In addition to the A220s, the airline’s fleet renewal will also include the delivery of 12 long-range Airbus A350-1000s, which will fly the long-awaited non-stop routes from Australia’s east coast to London, New York and potentially other European destinations.
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