On Monday, QantasLink operated its first flight with an Airbus A220 to a destination outside of a capital city, Launceston, in the northeast of the state of Tasmania at the southern end of Australia. This A220, called Koala, was the second to join the QantasLink fleet earlier this year and is now regularly seen at airports around the country.
The Qantas A220s have Australian-themed names
QantasLink, the regional flying arm of the Qantas Group, now has four Airbus A220-300s, and the fleet of A220s will all carry names of special events, places or animals that are dear to Australians. So far, here are the choices for the four now in service:
- VH-X4A: Minyma Kutjara Tjukurpa
- VH-X4B: Koala
- VH-X4C: Little Red Flying Fox
- VH-X4D: Platypus
The first QantasLink A220 flight to a city outside the Capitals
Yesterday, QantasLink’s new generation Airbus A220-300 aircraft flew to Launceston from Melbourne Airport, adding the first of many regional destinations where the single-aisle jet will service. QantasLink flight QF1541 departed Melbourne Airport at 09:48 and, after a short 00:49 hour flight, arrived in Launceston at 10:37.
The return leg, QF1542, left Launceston at 11:45 and was back on the ground in Melbourne at 12:35, from where it later departed at 15:43 on a return flight to Brisbane Airport (BNE), completing its duties for the day in Melbourne at 20:52. QantasLink CEO Rachel Yangoyan said the A220 would provide an improved experience for travelers and that the airline is thrilled to bring the new Airbus A220 to Launceston for the first time today.
“We’ve had great feedback from customers on the A220 since it first started flying on our network earlier this year. It offers more space, larger windows, fast WiFi and specially designed seats that will all vastly improve the traveling experience. The size of the aircraft makes it the perfect addition to our fleet that currently operate routes to the Apple Isle, and it’s great to see the A220 now flying to two Tasmanian airports.”
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End of an era as the 717s leave QantasLink
The Airbus A220s are progressively replacing QantasLink’s long-serving fleet of Boeing 717s as part of the Qantas Group’s domestic fleet renewal program, which also includes replacing Boeing 737-800s with Airbus A320neo family jets. The A220 Koala aircraft is already operating on flights between Melbourne and Hobart Airport (HBA) and will begin services between Sydney Kingsford Smith Airport (SYD) and Launceston in late October.
Photo: Qantas
With more A220s on the way, QantasLink said the final Boeing 717 will be retired later this month, bringing the curtain down on the aircraft that has served the people of regional and rural Australia for decades. The A220 is more fuel efficient, cuts carbon emissions by around 25% per seat compared to the Boeing 717 and has a noise footprint reduction of up to 50%.
Photo: Ryan Fletcher | Shutterstock.com
The QantasLink A220s are configured in a two-class layout of 137 seats, including ten business seats in a 2-2-2 configuration and 127 economy seats in a 2-3 configuration. The seats have an integrated personal device holder, USB A and C charging with an additional wireless charging pad in business class.