Summary
- Qantas unveils its Indigenous-inspired A220 aircraft livery, designed by artist Maringka Baker, set to join QantasLink.
- The Aboriginal livery is Qantas’ most complex yet, featuring more than 20,000 dots.
- The A220 will replace QantasLink’s aging Boeing 717 fleet, offering vastly improved range and fuel efficiency.
Qantas has unveiled its first Airbus A220 aircraft featuring a new Aboriginal-inspired livery. The plane is due to join regional subsidiary QantasLink and enter service in early 2024.
Qantas reveals indigenous A220 livery
The plane (registration: VH-X4A) was pictured in Airbus’ facility in Mirabel, Canada, ahead of its arrival in Australia before the end of the year. Pitjantjatjara artist Maringka Baker designed the Aboriginal livery, which took a large team of painters around two weeks to complete.
Photo: Qantas
Qantas CEO Vanessa Hudson commented,
“These aircraft have the potential to change the way our customers travel across the country, with the ability to connect any two cities or towns in Australia. That means faster and more convenient travel for business trips and exciting new possibilities for holiday travel. A whole new fleet type also means a lot of opportunities for our people to operate and look after these aircraft.”
Hudson added that the new narrowbody is expected to arrive around the Christmas period – the A220 will then operate its first commercial flights in early 2024 on QantasLink’s service between Canberra and Melbourne before a wider network rollout.
Most complex livery ever
Having spent two weeks in the paint shop in Mirabel, Qantas claims the livery is its “most complex” yet – the design is comprised of more than 20,000 dots, with approximately 100 painters involved in the process.
Photo: Qantas
The artwork – which the plane is also directly named after – is called Minyma Kutjara Tjukurpa, which translates to ‘the two sisters creation story.’ Qantas has given several of its aircraft art-inspired liveries as part of its ‘Flying Art Series.’
Photo: Qantas
The A220 becomes the sixth aircraft in this series – the first was a Boeing 747 named Wunala Dreaming back in 1994, while the most recent addition was a Boeing 787 Dreamliner in 2018.
Fleet renewal continues
The A220-300 is due to replace QantasLink’s aging Boeing 717 fleet and offers major operational upgrades on the 717. Not only can the A220 fly nearly twice the range, but it offers around 25% less fuel burn per seat and lower emissions. The carrier’s 717 fleet – now approaching an average of 22 years old – will gradually be phased out before its final flight in June 2024.
Photo: Qantas
QantasLink’s A220s will seat up to 137 passengers in two cabins – ten in business and 127 in economy. The aircraft’s versatility will prove an excellent asset for the airline, capable of deploying across domestic and regional network and opening up new routes.
Qantas expects seven A220s to be in service with QantasLink by mid-2025, rising to 29 by 2027.
In addition to its narrowbody renewal – which also includes the Airbus A321XLR – Qantas will take delivery of 12 Airbus A350-1000s to upgrade its long-haul fleet.
What are your thoughts on Qantas’ Aboriginal A220 livery? Let us know in the comments.