Qantas has added 20 A321XLR aircraft to its existing Airbus order, 16 of which will feature a new configuration with lie-flat business seats and seat back entertainment screens throughout the cabin.
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The Australian carrier said the new configuration A321XLRs will serve short and medium-haul international routes, as well as transcontinental services to and from Perth.
Delivery of the new aircraft is expected from 2028, taking the airline¡¯s total A321XLR order to 48 aircraft amid ongoing fleet renewal plans.?
The announcement comes after the carrier on Thursday (28 August) posted a 15 per cent year-on-year increase in underlying pre-tax profit to AU$2.39 billion (€1.3 billion) for the 12 months to 30 June 2025.
Earnings were boosted by ¡°strong demand across all market segments¡±, with Qantas CEO Vanessa Hudson noting demand for domestic business travel was close pre-pandemic levels.
The carrier¡¯s international capacity increased 6 per cent year on year, while revenue per available seat kilometres ¡°turned positive¡± in the fourth quarter, the airline said. Demand for premium cabins across its international network continued into the year¡¯s second half, with load factors across first, business and premium economy increasing by 2 percentage points.
Qantas anticipates a favourable outlook for the 2026 financial year, projecting domestic revenue growth of up to 5 per cent and international revenue growth of up to 3 per cent within the next six months. ?
¡°Our strong financial performance is enabling significant investment in new aircraft and customer initiatives, helping deliver better operational performance and customer satisfaction,¡± Hudson added.
The group ¨C which includes low-cost subsidiary Jetstar ¨C has a total firm purchase order of 214 aircraft from manufactures Airbus and Boeing. The airline¡¯s its first Project Sunrise ultra-long haul A350-1000ULR aircraft ¨C which will operate non-stop flights between London and Sydney ¨C will move to Airbus¡¯ final assembly line in October this year, with deliveries from October 2026, according to Qantas.