Qantas Replaces Boeing 747 with 787 Dreamliner Next Year

《Qantas Replaces Boeing 747 with 787 Dreamliner Next Year》

Covid-19 saw Qantas ground the majority of its fleet. While the 747s stayed in published schedules, the flights were progressively cancelled ahead of time.

With a drop in passenger demand due to the coronavirus, many airlines have also brought retirements of older, less fuel efficient aircraft forward. Airlines such as Air France have also announced the retirement of their A380s.

Many airlines have decided to replace the larger suberjumbos like the A380 and 747 with newer, more fuel efficient aircraft such as the 787 and A350, which are also lower in capacity. Airlines are also planning to use these smaller aircraft for the majority of their international routes after covid-19 when demand recovers gradually.

This move will also mean that the supply of capacity for high demand routes previously served with the A380 and 747 will drop unless airlines increase the frequency with smaller aircraft to match that of the A380 or 747.

Qantas have also delayed its Project Sunrise, which will be served by tge A350-1000. With covid-19 causing a fall in passenger demand, there is a chance that Project Sunrise may not take place at all, since international air travel takes a longer time to recover as compared to domestic air travel.