Traffic #399 | First Project Sunrise jet rolled off assembly line

The aircraft of choice, the A350-1000, has been specially modified for Qantas’ ultra-long-haul operations, which will become the longest commercial passenger flights in regular operation. The bespoke model ordered by Qantas has been specially adapted for such long-range flights, featuring an extra fuel tank so it can travel up to 16,100 kilometres. In fact, its Rolls-Royce Trent XWB-97 turbofan engines are powerful enough to fly from Australia to any major city in the world.

The interior of the cabin has also undergone significant modifications for The Flying Kangaroo. While the aircraft can hold up to 410 passengers in a regular three-class configuration, Qantas’ A350-1000s will house just 238 passengers across its first, business, premium economy, and economy classes. Just over 40 per cent of the aircraft’s seating will be dedicated to premium passengers.

The ambitious Project Sunrise was originally scheduled for takeoff in late 2025; however, Airbus was forced to push back its original delivery schedule after the European regulator required it to redesign the aircraft’s crucial “centre” fuel tank, which allows for its additional range. The plane will ultimately have fuel tanks in the wings, centre, and rear centre of the aircraft.

Now, Qantas is set to take delivery of its first A350-1000 in 2026, with commercial operations beginning in 2027.

Virgin welcomes first E-Jet

Virgin Australia’s regional offshoot, Virgin Australia Regional Airlines, has officially taken delivery of its first Embraer E190-E2 aircraft, VH- E2A, replacing its aged Fokker fleet. It’s the first of eight E-Jets ordered by Virgin in mid-2024, to be based at VARA’s Perth hub.

It’s a curious move for the airline, though it can be seen as yet another mark of strength for the formerly embattled carrier. Virgin previously boasted a fleet of 22 Embraer E170 and E190 aircraft, the last of which was retired in 2018. More recently, Virgin-donned E-Jets have been flown under a wet lease agreement with Alliance Airlines – a model that has proven massively successful for the Brisbane-based regional airline and the various airlines that utilise the service.

Perhaps a factor in the push to invest in brand new aircraft is that Virgin’s largest rival Qantas Group now owns a 20% stake in Alliance – which will stand for now after its bid to purchase the remaining 80% stake was shot down by the ACCC over anti-competition concerns. This interest, as well as the seemingly ever-expanding wet lease deal between Qantas and Alliance, places a certain level of uncertainty around the future of Virgin’s deal with Alliance.

This uncertainty, combined with Virgin’s new strengthened foothold in domestic commercial operations after its brief period in voluntary administration during the pandemic, has likely pushed the airline to explore the possibility of its own, powerful, E-Jet fleet for domestic and FIFO operations – just another notch in this carrier’s redemption arc.

Finnish A330s flown in for Qantas

Qantas has now welcomed two new – pardon me, old – Airbus A330-300s to its fleet, newly imported from Finland. Now registered in Australia as VH-QPK and VH-QPL, the planes have been dry-leased from Finland’s flag carrier Finnair for a period of “up to” three years. As per our Traffic column, both jets have been spotted in recent weeks at both Chateauroux Airport in France and Helsinki Airport in Finland, donning the iconic Kangaroo tail. The new agreement is an extension of a former ‘wet lease’ arrangement held between Qantas and Finnair, in which Finnair staff and aircraft were used to fly certain Qantas routes for Qantas customers, including Sydney-Singapore and Sydney-Bangkok.

The deal greatly benefits both airlines, who are partnered under the OneWorld airline alliance. In Qantas’ case, delivery delays on both its Boeing 787 Dreamliner and Airbus A350 orders have impacted its medium- and long-range capacity, which makes the Finnair agreement an ideal stopgap until manufacturing issues subside. Meanwhile, Finnair has been forced to reduce utilisation on its A330 fleet since the beginning of the Russia-Ukraine war, as the aircraft’s capacity falls just shy of the distance required to circumvent Russia’s closed airspace. The Qantas deal, then, allows Finnair to keep its A330 fleet “in profitable operations”, while it relies upon its longer-range planes on Asian routes.

The new dry lease arrangement will see the planes’ exteriors painted in Qantas colours, and crewed by Qantas staff, however internally, the cabins will remain consistent with Finnair’s existing offering. So far, Qantas says the dry leased aircraft – which will work in tandem with the ongoing wet lease jets – will be used on routes connecting Sydney with Singapore and Honolulu throughout the Australian summer season.