Qantas to order A350-1000(ULR)s by mid-2022, launch in 2025

Qantas (QF, Sydney Kingsford Smith) has revived plans to order A350-1000(ULR)s for its planned "Project Sunrise" non-stop services to Europe and the US West Coast and expects to conclude a final deal with Airbus by mid-2022, the carrier said in its half-yearly financial report.

"Work has also resumed on Project Sunrise. Our latest customer research shows the demand for direct long-haul flights is even stronger than it was pre-COVID, so our focus on delivering non-stop services from Sydney Kingsford Smith and Melbourne Tullamarine to New York JFK and London Heathrow remains," Qantas Group Chief Executive Alan Joyce said.

The finalisation of the deal with Airbus for twelve A350-1000(ULR)s is subject to Qantas board approval. The carrier hopes that if the order is confirmed by mid-2022, the first aircraft will be in service in 2025.

Qantas tentatively selected the A350 as the platform for its proposed ultra-long-haul non-stop flights in December 2019. The finalisation of the order was then repeatedly deferred as the airline struggled with the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and the resulting uncertainty about the return of demand for international services.

The board is also expected to approve the terms of the "Project Winston" narrowbody fleet renewal programme by mid-2022. In December 2021, the group announced a commitment for twenty A220-300s and twenty A321-200NX(XLR)s with options for a further 94 Airbus aircraft.

The group said it would start accepting deliveries of aircraft deferred due to the pandemic in financial year 2023, which begins on July 1, 2022. The current timeline foresees deliveries of three B787-9s for Qantas and two A321-200NX(LR)s that were deferred, as well as seven A321-200Ns that were scheduled to deliver in FY23 from the beginning. The A321neo will be delivered to the group's LCC wing Jetstar Airways (JQ, Melbourne Tullamarine).

Qantas Group's existing order book covers the three B787-9s for Qantas and forty-five A320-200Ns, two A321-200NXs, twenty-six A321-200NX(LR)s, and thirty-six A321-200NX(XLR)s for Jetstar-branded carriers in Australia and abroad, the ch-aviation fleets advanced module highlights.

Despite the clearer recovery path, Qantas's international traffic remains decimated. While the group hopes to reach 90-100% of its pre-pandemic capacity in the domestic market by the end of June 2022, its forecast for the international market stands at only 44%.