The Italian Aerospace Information Web
by Aeromedia - corso Giambone 46/18 - 10135 Torino (Italy)
Qantas receives new Boeing and Airbus widebodies
Qantas Airways accepted on October 30, 2002, the first new Boeing B.747-400ER passenger jetliner. The Australian airline, which already has many B.747-400s and some B.747-300s in service, is the launch customer for the model, having placed an order in December 2000 for six of them. Qantas plans to use the airplanes, which can fly farther or carry more payload than earlier models of the Boeing 747, on ultra-long routes across the Pacific.
Although the B.747-400ER has the same size and an identical exterior appearance to existing B.747-400 airplane, the flight deck features new liquid crystal displays and reduced noise levels, and the structure features a strengthened fuselage, landing gear and parts of its wing, along with new, larger tires.
Qantas is also about to put in service the first of 13 Airbus A 330 jetliners (seven A 330-200s an six A 330-300s) it has ordered together with 12 A 380 future megabody aircraft. Both the Qantas' B.747-400ERs and the A 330s are powered by General Electric CF6-80 turbofans.
The first Boeing B.747-438ER of Qantas Airways during the landing phase. (Boeing)
