The Australian airline, however, has made it clear that it is not yet an order, but is working closely with Airbus to prepare a contract to purchase 12 planes to be reviewed by its executive committee by March 2020.Īirbus, for its part, has extended the deadline to set aircraft production slots from February to March to enable aircraft to be delivered in 2023, when Qantas plans to open long-haul flights.
Qantas announced on Friday that after reviewing the 777-8 and A350-1000 jets, it has selected Airbus as a “preferred” aircraft in its Sunrise project, which provides ultra-long-haul flights connecting cities from Australia to destinations like New York and London nonstop.
