Qantas has received its first Airbus A220-300 aircraft.
This aircraft (registration VH-X4A) is the first of 29 the Australian carrier has ordered in order to replace the ageing Boeing 717 operated by its domestic subsidiary, QantasLink.
In addition to being a first for Qantas, this delivery has drawn a considerable amount of public attention because of the special livery that decorates the aircraft.
Qantas chose to celebrate the indigenous cultural heritage of Australia with a design by Pitjantjatjara artist Maringka Baker. An intricate pattern formed by 20,000 dots represents the tale of two sisters that travel back to their home across Australia’s vast expanses.
This artwork is the sixth in the “Flying Art” series, which Qantas launched in 1994, and it required around 100 painters and two weeks of work in the paintshop to complete it.
With its distinctive green paint scheme this aircraft is guaranteed to stand out in Qantas fleet, red and white fleet.
The aircraft arrived in Honolulu (HNL) on December 17, 2023, after a long ferry flight from Montréal-Mirabel (YMX), which involved a stop in Vancouver (YVR). It is expected to complete its journey and reach Sydney (SYD) the following week.
Qantas latest fleet addition is expected to enter service shortly on the domestic trunk route between Melbourne (MLB) to Canberra (CBR) route.
