Qantas To Retire Six Boeing 747 Aircraft

Qantas Chief Executive Officer Geoff Dixon announced today that the airline would expedite the retirement of six of its international Boeing 747 aircraft.

"This decision will enable Qantas to significantly reduce the high maintenance costs associated with these older aircraft," Mr Dixon said.

Qantas will retire its two B747-SP aircraft in November and December this year and, in addition, four B747-200s will be retired in 2003 instead of in 2006/2007 as originally planned.

"The B747-SPs are among the oldest aircraft in the Qantas fleet and require a considerable amount of maintenance," Mr Dixon said.

"The early retirement of these aircraft will also allow for capacity reductions at a time when the global economy is slowing."

Qantas also announced it would bring forward the delivery of three Boeing 747-400ER aircraft ordered as part of its 10 year Fleet Plan. Qantas is the launch customer for the B747-400ER aircraft, which has a longer range than conventional 747 aircraft.

The expedited delivery of these three B747-400ERs in the first half of 2003 is in addition to the scheduled delivery of three B747-400ERs in late 2002 and early 2003.

"These actions will significantly increase the efficiency of our network," Mr Dixon said. "For example, the longer range B747-400ERs will fly between Los Angeles and the East Coast of Australia with significantly greater passenger and freight loads than is possible with conventional 747 aircraft."

The Qantas Fleet Plan, announced in November 2000, features the purchase of 31 new aircraft to be delivered between 2002 and 2011.

Qantas has ordered 13 Airbus A330-200 and A330-300 aircraft for delivery between 2002 and 2005 to provide for growth on domestic routes with flexibility for regional international operations.

Qantas is also a launch customer for the Airbus A380, the world's largest commercial aircraft, and 12 of these aircraft will be delivered between 2006 and 2011 to meet passenger growth on selected long haul routes.

Qantas operates a core jet fleet of 111 aircraft, comprising Boeing 737s, 767s and 747s. QantasLink operations to regional and leisure destinations are serviced by a fleet of 67 aircraft, including BAe-146, Dash 8 and Boeing 717 aircraft.