Qantas will upgrade its fleet of 30 Airbus A330s and order five additional Boeing 737-800s, the airline announced today as it released its financial results for the first half of the fiscal year.
The A330 upgrades, slated to begin in late 2014, will see the installation of lie-flat seats in business class, a refreshed economy cabin and new inflight entertainment offerings.
The airline operates 10 A330-300s, which will be used on international services between Australia and Asia, and 20 A330-200s, which will take over services between the east coast and Perth. The five new B737-800s will allow Qantas Domestic to retire its 737-400s by the end of 2013 and its 767s by 2015. Qantas said it would also extend its lease on two more 737-800s.
The plans to refurbish the A330-300s comes after Qantas launched an overhauled schedule to and from Asia in a bid to bolster its position in what it sees as its core international market.
“The refurbished aircraft will give Qantas International a truly world-class product in global aviation’s most dynamic and competitive market,” Qantas CEO Alan Joyce said. “Growing with Asia is a major priority for the Qantas Group and this investment underpins our commitment to the region.”
