Qantas Extends Fleet With Boeing And Airbus

Australian operator Qantas has today announced a procurement deal with aircraft manufacturers Airbus and Boeing which could see it acquire a further 188 aircraft over the next few years, with a view to broadening its reach into the Asian and Australian travel markets.

The airline, famed for its impeccable safety record, today announced that it would be acquiring the bulk of its new fleet from European-based Airbus, with just under 50% of the number of craft again coming from rival Boeing as it bids to increase the number of available routes it offers to customers within the particularly profitable Asian-Pacific region.

The announcement comes in a week that has seen strong performance for Airbus, despite the strength of the euro against other major currencies which has resulted in a lack of competitiveness for European-manufactured goods.

However, with Airbus’s innovative new models recently launched, it has helped offset the effect of any currency problems to secure its place in the market and book several highly valuable contracts over the last few weeks.

Meanwhile, rival Boeing has been struggling to keep track with Airbus since the company gathered momentum following the launch of its newer models, thus the move today will provide them with a positive starting point to build their sales and fleet maintenance contracts.

Qantas at present holds almost two thirds of the Australian market, and roughly one third of the market for Asian travel amidst stiff competition from other service providers. The move to increase its fleet is hoped to bolster the number of routes it can offer throughout the region, in order to crowd out the competition and increase top level sales.

Speaking today on the move, Qantas spokesperson Geoff Dixon said that the order will strengthen the ‘next generation’ of aircraft for the provider, which it hoped would enable it to continue in its bid for expansion across its core market areas.

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