QANTAS PINS ITS HOPES ON THE NEW AIRBUS A380

 SUBSCRIBE TO RSS FEED

SEND TO FRIEND

QANTAS has only just welcomed its first Airbus A380 superjumbo to Australia and already it wants more.

The airline in talks with manufacturer Airbus about adding further A380s to existing order of 20 planes and hopes publicity surrounding today's arrival of the giant plane will help restore its battered reputation.

Qantas chief executive Geoff Dixon could not say how many additional superjumbos the airline is considering but said it would be part of Qantas's existing overall aircraft order, worth about $35 billion. The airline has options and purchase rights on an additional 16 planes but is unlikely to want that many, at least in the first instance.

"We can see real reasons for taking more of the A380s to allow for some growth but more likely to replace aircraft,'' he said.

Australians got their first glimpse of the national carrier's new flagship today as the first Qantas super jumbo swooped on Sydney in a series of low-level passes and landed smoothly at the city's international airport.

The newly minted 450-seat Airbus A380, named after aviation pioneer Nancy-Bird Walton and looking impressive in its new livery, had just completed a smooth, 18-hour flight from the European manufacturer's delivery centre in Toulouse, France, via Singapore.

The new plane was met at a hangar at Sydney Airport by about 3000 Qantas staff who enthusiastically welcomed it after a wait of more than two years due to manufacturing delays.

One of the plane's pilots, Captain Peter Probert, added a sense of family history to the event. Captain Probert's father delivered the first Boeing 747 to Qantas in 1970.

The new plane is important to the Australian carrier because it is significantly more efficient than older aircraft, with its four Rolls Royce engines using about the same amount of fuel per passenger per 100kms as a small car.

The A380 and the yet-to-be-delivered Boeing 787, which is also delayed, form the major planks of the airline's re-fleeting program and will allow it to retire older planes.

It is also seen as an important tool in allowing Qantas to compete effectively against top tier airlines such as Emirates and Singapore Airlines. Singapore already flies an A380 to Sydney and Emirates is due to start a service using the double-decker in February.

The plane began its journey to Australia with a lavish dinner overseen by Australian celebrity chef Neil Perry and a spectacular sound and light show which projected a mixture of images from Australia and Airbus on the side of the aircraft.

Qantas was the first airline to sign a contract for the A380 in a November, 2000, a move that saw it break from an all-Boeing fleet.

Qantas chief executive Geoff Dixon told guests at the farewell dinner, which was also attended by the heads of Airbus and Rolls Royce, that Qantas had recognized the economic and operational advantages of the big plane long before it was dramatically illustrated by the escalating costs of fuel.

With an interior designed over five years by renowned Australian industrial designer Marc Newson, Qantas is hoping the plane will help cement it reputation as a premium airline.

It has bought 20 of the big planes but flagged in Toulouse that it was considering buying more.

More than 80 passengers - including Mr Newson , Qantas staff, journalists and Airbus representatives ˜ enjoyed fine wines and food in a party atmosphere as the aircraft winged its way to its new home.

It took off just after midnight French time and its performance was praised by both flight crew and cabin staff.

Captain Murray Crockett, who commanded the plane between Toulouse and Singapore and who is veteran of Boeing 747-400s, said the A380 set a new benchmark.

"This aeroplane is precise, it's crisp, it's responsive…. it's amazing,'' he said.