Following the call to pause 12 Airbus A350XWB deliveries, Australian carrier Qantas Airways now delays the remaining orders. The airline does not expect aircraft deliveries from Boeing and Airbus anytime soon, a Qantas spokesman confirmed to Executive Traveller.
Amid the uncertainty of the market, the carrier temporarily calls off deliveries of three Boeing 787-9 aircraft and 18 Airbus A321. Three Dreamliners were due to arrive in the second half of 2020, while the deliveries for 18 Airbus A321 neo’s were supposed to begin in April 2020 and finish by 2022.
“There’s a lot we don’t know about life on the other side of the crisis, but our starting assumption has to be that the market won’t return to demand levels we had going into the crisis. The market will probably be smaller for some time”, commented Qantas Group CEO Alan Joyce.
Earlier in May, Qantas Airways revealed hanging the $4.4 billion-worth Airbus order in obscurity as it delayed Project Sunrise ‒ its ambitious goal of connecting Sydney with London and New York via direct flights. The Aussie airline was expected to order up to 12 A350-1000 jets for the task.
“We do think there is a huge potential for Project Sunrise but the time is not right now, given the impact that COVID-19 has had on world travel,” stated Alan Joyce.
New dates for the aircraft deliveries were not specified.
