One of the aircraft that the Qantas Group is pinning its fleet revival hopes on is the 137-seat Airbus A220 regional jet to be operated by QantasLink and it is a real winner.
AirlineRatings.com was given a sneak peek at the sleek jet on a flight from Sydney to Ayers Rock (Uluru) and it is a class above - quiet, spacious, light, airy and with plenty of overhead bin space.
The next-generation QantasLink A220s will gradually replace the Boeing 717s operating flights across Australia. With double the range of the 717, the A220 is expected to open up new domestic and short-haul international routes as more aircraft enter the fleet.
The aircraft spent two weeks in the paint shop where a striking Aboriginal paint scheme was applied, making this aircraft the sixth to join the national carrier’s longstanding Flying Art Series.
The Qantas Flying Art Series was launched in 1994 with the unveiling of the first Indigenous livery aircraft, a Boeing 747 jumbo jet named Wunala Dreaming. Leading Indigenous Australian design agency, Balarinji, has worked with Qantas to create the fuselage design for all of the Flying Art Series liveries, in collaboration with First Nations artists and their families.
The latest Flying Art Series livery features the artwork of senior Pitjantjatjara artist Maringka Baker and tells the Dreaming story of two sisters who traverse remote Australia together, covering vast distances to find their way home. The aircraft is named after the artwork Minyma Kutjara Tjukurpa – The Two Sisters Creation Story.
Around 100 painters were involved in completing the livery, with the Airbus teams working with 130 stencils to replicate the detailed designs. It features over 20,000 dots and is the most complex livery Airbus has ever completed for this aircraft type.
Here is my flight review.
Our flight QF6215 (VH-X4A) took off at 1.50 pm local and flew direct to Ayers Rock taking 2.50 hrs to fly the 2,180km landing at 3.11 pm local.
The take-off was impressive and the A220 quickly climbed to its cruising altitude of 36,000ft.
Lunch was a grand affair with the aircraft configured in a business class configuration with only three passengers sharing five seats.
The starter was a Roast vegetable salad with prosciutto and balsamic vinaigrette accompanied by sourdough bread.
The main course was a choice of Pork and beef polpette, pecorino and fried polenta with broccolini, almonds and lemon or Nicoise salad with cold smoked salmon and Chardonnay vinaigrette.
The meal was finished off with Passionfruit baked cheesecake and Maffra Cheddar with poppyseed lavosh.
French champagne flowed.
I was seated in an exit row which had ample legroom but the standard seats are set at a 30-inch seat pitch, typical of regional jets that typically operate on short flights. However, the seats have an 18-inch width, wider than those on the 717.
The seats have dual USB A & C charging ports and a clever drop-down tablet holder with an anti-slip mat.
The overall ambience of the aircraft is such that you think you have far more room. The sculpturing of the cabin and huge windows give a real sense of spaciousness, while the overhead luggage bins are quite large.
According to Airbus's Australian VP Stephen Forshaw, the QantasLink A220 is "a really efficient aircraft using up to 25 per cent less fuel burn per seat than the Boeing 717s they replace."
"The Qantaslink A220s have almost double the range of the 717 at over 6,000 kilometres, giving them the ability
to fly non-stop between any two destinations in Australia," Mr Forshaw said.
"The reduced fuel consumption means 25 per cent fewer CO2 emissions per seat, helping Qantas bring it closer to its commitment to reach net zero. The A220 also provides an up to 50 per cent noise footprint reduction compared with previous generation aircraft and around 40 per cent less nitrogen oxide emissions than industry standards."
The A220 is fitted with free WiFi for all passengers.
The first A220 commercial flights are on sale today for travel from March 1, 2024, on Melbourne-Canberra and Melbourne-Brisbane; this expands to Melbourne-Hobart from July 2024, Melbourne-Coffs Harbour from October 2024 and Melbourne-Launceston from November 2024 as more aircraft are delivered.
Geoffrey Thomas was a guest of Qantas and Voyages.
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