Australia Domestic Airline: Qantas expands regional service in QLD

Australia Domestic Airline: Qantas expands regional service in QLD

New turboprop aircraft shaving of flight times in Queensland
By: Oliver Koester
January 12, 2006
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REGIONAl Queensland is the first to benefit from a new fleet of turboprop aircraft new to the southern hemisphere lately purchased by Quantas.

Qantas Groups' regional subsidiary, QantasLink, today announced the first of its seven new 72 seat Bombardier Q400 planes, which will cost a total of $200 million, had touched down in Brisbane from Canada, ready to take flight from February 26. the aircraft featured jet-like speed with new engine and propeller systems, shaving between 10 and 20 per cent off flight times, said Qantas executive general manager regional airlines Narendra Kumar.

Mr Kumar said the introduction of five of the Bombardier Q400 aircraft to regional Queensland would boost capacity by more than 240,000 seats a year to cities including Rockhampton, Gladstone, Emerald, Mackay and Townsville. The Bombardier Q400 aircraft – the quietest turboprops available worldwide – were both larger and faster than the airline's current Dash 8 fleet, he said.

"Tourism and business sectors across Queensland will benefit from the additional capacity and the introduction of the Bombardier Q400 on key routes at peak demand times," Mr Kumar said. Mr Kumar said ports not on the Q400 fleet's route network would still benefit from a "cascading effect". "It gives us the flexibility to redirect other capacity," he said.

Qantas will announce next month where the remaining two planes – due in Australia by July this year – would fly outside Queensland.


Resource: News.com.au - January 12, 2006