Australian flag carrier Qantas has posted an industry update as the airline approaches a busy school holiday period.
The Qantas Group, which includes Jetstar, confirmed it was on track to deliver the financial performance for FY23 outlined in its May market update.
In the May 2023 update Qantas estimated underlying profit before tax of between AUD2.4 billion ($1.6 billion).
In the update, released on June 27, 2023, the Qantas Group said it expects to carry more than four million passengers over the school holiday period.
Top domestic leisure destinations include the Gold Coast and Cairns, while new international routes including Sydney-Auckland-New York and Perth-Rome are heavily booked.
The Qantas Group also confirmed it has taken delivery of six new aircraft since the start of 2023.
This month, Jetstar received its eighth Airbus A321neo LR, with a ninth due in July with a total of 18 to be delivered by the end of 2024.
Qantas has received two new Boeing 787 Dreamliners since late April. A third aircraft, which will bring the 787 fleet to 14, is now expected to arrive in mid-July due to further delivery delays at Boeing.
Qantas’ eighth A380 is also expected to re-enter service in early July after engineering checks and cabin refurbishment.
Three QantasLink 717s have now been retired – representing 15% of this fleet type – ahead of new Airbus A220s arriving later this year.
