iscover
Qantas and Boeing are celebrating the delivery of 250 Boeing aircraft, and 100 737s, to Qantas with the handover of the airline’s latest 737-800 in Seattle this week.
A delivery dinner was held in Seattle on Tuesday evening ahead of the handover of 737-838 VH-XZG Bungendore, which is in fact Qantas’s 251st Boeing jetliner and 101st 737, at Boeing Field on June 5. The milestone 250th Boeing and 100th 737 was in fact 737-838 VH-XZF, which was delivered on May 10. But formalities to mark the milestone centred around VH-XZG, which is due to arrive in Sydney and then Melbourne on Friday evening, as its handover coincided with a visit by Qantas Group officials and media to see the first Jetstar 787 in final assembly.
Australian Aviation quarterly print & digital magazinesThe 250 figure comprises 707s, 737s, 747s and 767s delivered to Qantas and 727s, 737s and Douglas DC-9s delivered to TAA/Australian Airlines, but does not include leased aircraft, such as the 717s operated by Cobham for QantasLink, nor Douglas DC-3s and DC-4s.
Qantas’s first Boeing was its first 707, delivered in 1959, while the 100th Boeing delivered to Qantas was a 747-400 delivered in 1992.
“Over the decades Qantas’s partnership with Boeing has been absolutely fundamental to our success as an airline,” Qantas Group CEO Alan Joyce said. “Together we’ve been responsible for some special moments in aviation history, from the invention of business class to important achievements in air navigation.”
With VH-XZG’s delivery Qantas’s 737-800 fleet stands at 65, with a further nine on order – four to be delivered during the remainder of 2013 and five in 2014.
Greg Hyde
says:The DC-9’s are a bit of a stretch considering that they were Douglas/McDonnell Douglas products.
After the McDonnell Douglas takeover the DC-9/MD-80 series became the Boeing 717 which was then a Boeing product.
TAA/Australian Airlines flew twelve DC-9’s.
Maybe they should wait till the current B737’s order is completed with the addition of three B787 to claim this record.
John Forster
says:Great to see new gear coming to Qantas and the progressive retirement of the now rather tired and dated looking Classic 737s. Customer experience is excellent on these new 738s with Boeing Sky interior and seatback Panasonic IFE.
Damian
says:Agree Greg…….it’s a bit tenuous including TAA DC9s………..using that logic they should have also included various GAF Nomads once operated by Sunstate!!!
Dave Short
says:I agree with you Greg.
Maybe it’s an obvious sign that the company is driven by bean counters, with their creative accounting???
If the DC-9’s are included then why not count the Convairs of old, seeing that Boeing bought McDonell Douglas which bought the aircraft division of Convair?
Including all of the 727’s and classic 737’s is stretching it a bit too as they were delivered to TAA.
And what about the forgotten 727 VH-TBS bought from Ansett, that seems to have missed the cut?
In fact the total of Boeing deliveries direct to Qantas now stands at 186, even though 8 737-838’s were immediately sent off to Jetconnect (but that’s OK).
Brian Price
says:I agree the DC9s are a tall order and really bend the truth giving a completely wrong impression of the QF fleet size
The DC9-30 were delivered around 66 or 67 from memory with TJJ being the first. I recall working for TN in PER in those days and the sales team including myself shipped off to Essendon on a B727 100 to have a ride MEL – SYD.
They eventually fixed the lack of Sync between the 2 engines which caused a horrible drumming type noise if U were down the back but they served TN well and 45 years later QF are claiming them as part of their own fleet. Excuse me
they dont mind bending the truth if it suits them
John Harrison
says:Ah what can you say its a great milestone, shame now a days Qantas seems to be so much more in Airbus camp.
As I was once told by a mate at Qantas. “Engineers Buy Boeings” “Accountants Buy Airbus”
Enough said.