SYDNEY, Aug 25 (Reuters) – Qantas Airways will compete with aircraft manufacturers to replace its aging fleet of 28 Airbus A330s over the next 12 to 18 months, chief financial officer Vanessa Hudson said on Thursday.
“We will be looking at the market over the next 12 months,” Vanessa Hudson told reporters. “This aircraft model (the A330) is heading towards its end of life. In the next 12 to 18 months, we will organize a competition as we did for the fleet of narrow-body aircraft.”
She did not say which models would be considered for replacement, although most airlines are looking to Airbus’ A330neo and A350 models and rival Boeing’s 787. Any deal would be worth several billion dollars based on list prices.
Qantas already has three Boeing 787s in storage in the United States due to delivery issues from the manufacturer and which are expected to arrive in May and June 2023, the company’s chief executive, Alan Joyce, said.
The group also placed an order in May for 12 Airbus A350s capable of carrying out the longest long-haul flight in the world, between Sydney and London. (Reporting Jamie Freed; French version Federica Mileo, told by Kate Entringer)