Qantas has completed the refit of its fourth 747-400 and will introduce the aircraft on trans-Pacific routes by the end of this month.
The refit program brings the 747-400 interior in line with that of Qantas’s Airbus A380s and includes redesigned seats, larger seatback inflight entertainment screens and fully-flat Skybeds in business class. The refurbished aircraft are being used on routes between Sydney and Los Angeles, Dallas and Santiago, and between Brisbane and Los Angeles.
The decision to refurbish rather than replace its 747s puts Qantas in contrast with Singapore Airlines, long the world’s largest operator of the jumbo jet, which plans to retire its last 747-400 by the end of March.
Qantas launched its $250 million refurbishment program for nine of its 747-400s last year. All nine are expected to be completed by October. The refitted aircraft feature 364 seats in a three class configuration.
The airline released a time lapse video of the cabin refit process, which is being carried out at its Avalon facility and takes roughly six weeks per aircraft.
