Australian Aviation

An Airbus A350-1000, sporting Airbus livery alongside the Qantas logo and other poignant decals, landed in Sydney on Monday in support of Qantas’ major Project Sunrise announcement.

New Zealand has reopened its international borders to tourists from dozens of visa-waiver countries, in the next major step in the country’s gradual reopening plan.

The two airlines have signed a Letter of Intent to enter a ‘definitive commercial agreement’ which will see reciprocal interline ticketing and baggage across both airlines from the third quarter of 2022.

Qantas revealed on Monday that deliveries of its new A220 fleet are expected to begin as soon as late next year, while its A321XLRs will begin deliveries in late 2024.

The purchase of the aircraft was the last significant hurdle to overcome after the airline in March 2020 agreed to a deal with its pilot’s union for its members to fly ultra-long-haul routes.

An Airbus-owned A350-1000 is currently en route from the planemaker’s base in Toulouse to Perth, with reports speculating Qantas will confirm its ‘Project Sunrise’ order on Monday morning.