Qantas places its largest aircraft order in history for 150 jets - all from Airbus

[onetrack]

Qantas is preparing to make a major announcement tomorrow, that it is signing an order valued at around AU$34B with Airbus, for over 150 new Airbus aircraft in 3 sizes, to be delivered over the next decade.

 

The initial order is for 12, 369-seat A350-1000s ultra-long-range jets, 20, 206-seat A321XLRs, and 20, 120-seat A220s - plus over 106 purchase right options, spread amongst the different types to be supplied over 10 years.

 

This move marks a major swing for the airline away from Boeing, and this must be a major concern for Boeing. Qantas says the Airbus aircraft have won the contract thanks to their fuel efficiency, their quietness, their range, and their roominess.

 

One would imagine that pricing also played a large part in the deal. IMO, Joyce may be making a tactical error in deciding to go for just one brand to make up the Qantas fleet - although there are advantages there, in standardising on training, spare parts, tooling and accessories, by keeping to one manufacturer.

 

https://www.airlineratings.com/news/qantas-place-largest-order-history/

 

Edited May 1, 2022 by onetrack

[Old Koreelah]

No Boeings. 

[kgwilson]

Boeings reputation went down the toilet after the 737 Max fiasco and the fallout that followed. Boeing has only survived because of US government contracts. On 1 March 2019 the share price was $US440.62 & today it is $US148.84. Boeing blamed everyone except themselves after the Lion Air Crash in October 2018 but after the Ethiopian crash in March 2019 the truth slowly emerged which resulted in a share market decline which has never recovered.

 

Coupled with that there have been numerous production flaws with their flagship 787 Dreamliner so not one has been delivered since May last year.

 

Airbus has been gaining market share for years and now outstrips Boeing, albeit by only a slim margin. Joyce is not one to flog a dead horse.

[Thruster88]

More trouble for Boeing with the 777🙄🙄

 

 

[Old Koreelah]

This one doesn’t appear to be the fault of the aeroplane, but rather a cultural issue with the aircrew.

[Flightrite]

Airbus, way of the future, RIP Boeing!😂

[Yenn]

I used to think that Boeing were the bees knees. but after flying in an A320, I think it was, the big one and realizing that it was more comfortable and quieter than the 747, I began to change my mind. Then along came the Max problems and I will go for Airbus any time.

[Flightrite]

A lot of plane drivers bag Airbus, you know….plastic fantastic, not a real man’s plane etc, well when I went on the bus and drove it around for a few months I was hooked! Providing you understand the French oddities it’s a breeze to drive👍

[kasper]

Never having flown any of them - apparently an RAAau cert is not enough - I can only comment from a passenger perspective.

 

from smallest to largest of both sides I’d pick Airbus every single time.  They are quieter.  More stable down in the cheap seats. And this results in a less stressful flight.   

[kgwilson]

Much of the success of Airbus comes from the design of the wings. The expertise came from the development of the  Hawker Siddeley Trident with the advanced efficient wings designed by De Havilland. The incorporation of these into British Aerospace eventually became part of Airbus and all of the wings for Airbus are designed at Airbus Filton, the original site of the Bristol Aeroplane Company & where the Concord wings were built. Most of the Wing assembly is now carried out at Airbus Broughton in the UK. The only wings not built here are the A320 for the Chinese market as they are assembled in China. Airbus while ostensibly French is very much an international organisation with manufacturing of different parts scattered all over Europe & North America . They all just get bolted together in Toulouse.

 

Airbus has always embraced new technology far more readily than Boeing and had the first fly by wire passenger aircraft in the A320 that began production back in the 80s. Boeing always built solid reliable aircraft until their operation was hijacked by accountants & profit became the major driver. This has resulted in Airbus emerging as the premier provider of passenger jets that are technologically superior, more fuel efficient, quieter and more comfortable to fly in than Boeing equivalents.