With the additional three aircraft, Qantas’ fleet of Boeing 787-9s will be strengthened to a total of 14 aircraft.
Staff at Tullamarine airport have said that the fire started on an equipment truck on the runway. Viewers from inside Terminal 1 watched in alarm as smoke engulfed a Qantas plane.
Flight QF102 requested a priority landing back at Nadi airport not long after taking off from Fiji on a trip destined for Sydney, with fumes from the aircraft galley oven cited as the issue.
The flag carrier and its subsidiary will operate 30 return flights per week across the Tasman on five routes, a major boost from the two previously running, according to the companies.
Qantas has announced it will soon require all employees be fully vaccinated against COVID-19, including frontline and corporate staff.
Qantas has unveiled new downloadable products to recreate the “sights and sounds” of a Qantas flight, in its latest attempt to bring the flying experience to grounded customers.