Qantas has called on the general public to suggest names for its forthcoming fleet of eight Boeing 787-9 aircraft, which it says it wants to name after “Australian icons”.
The airline has published a page on its website where anyone can provide eight name suggestions for the 787s, the first of which is due for delivery in October this year.
“We want their names to reflect the true Spirit of Australia, so your suggestions should be around people, places or things that reflect the depth and breadth of this place we all call home. It could be a notable person, a ground-breaking invention, a piece of our culture, a saying, a man-made or natural landmark, anything that sums up what Australia means to you,” the name-the-plane webpage reads.
But aspiring plane namers will need to be quick, as entries will close on Friday May 26. From then a shortlist of 24 names will be released with the public asked to vote for their favourites before the final eight are announced.
Ever wanted to name a plane?
Well here’s your chance >> https://t.co/BGGYwqOAGz pic.twitter.com/qWi3LF3WU1— Qantas (@Qantas) May 14, 2017
It is also worth noting too that the successful entrants will hand over all rights to the use of the names.
“Entry details remain the property of Qantas and will not be returned to the entrant,” the fine print on the Qantas website reads. “The winners agree to grant Qantas a perpetual and non-exclusive licence to use their entries in all media worldwide and the winners will not be entitled to any fee for such use.”
Qantas has eight 787-9 Dreamliners on order, with options for a further 35. The airline has a long-standing tradition of naming its aircraft, mostly after Australian cities, towns and places. Exceptions in the current fleet include the Airbus A380s, which are named after prominent Australian aviation pioneers, the original Retro Roo 737-800 which is named after former airline CEO James Strong, and the New Zealand-based, Jetconnect-operated 737-800 subfleet, which is named after New Zealand pioneers.
Further information on Qantas’s aircraft naming conventions can be found here.
