Qantas to base some A350-1000s at Melbourne Airport

By Andrew Curran.

The Qantas Group and Melbourne Airport have reached a commercial agreement that will, among other things, see Qantas base some of its A350-1000s at the airport once they enter service.

"Basing some of our new A350-1000LRs in Melbourne will unlock a range of new destinations that aren't possible today," said Qantas Group Chief Financial Officer Rob Marcolina in a 24 July statement.

The Qantas Group has twelve A350-1000s on order, with the first delivery expected in the 2028 financial year. Although Qantas is styling the aircraft as A350-1000LRs, they are standard A350-1000s and should not be confused with the twelve A350-1000ULRs also due to join the Qantas fleet.

The A350-1000ULRs, a specially modified variant of the A350-1000, will operate the ultra-long-haul Project Sunrise flights, while the A350-1000s, with their slightly shorter range, will be deployed on other routes. The -1000s form part of the company's Project Fysh fleet renewal programme.

The announcement serves as something of a consolation prize for Melbourne (MEL), which is yet to be allocated any Project Sunrise services. However, it was the Australian terminus of a non-stop A350-1000ULR test flight from Toulouse (TLS) which, perhaps not coincidentally, landed in the Victorian capital on the same day the commercial agreement was made public.

Qantas gets behind Melbourne Airport redevelopment

The A350 base announcement was among a package of initiatives that formed part of the agreement between the Qantas Group and Melbourne Airport. While the commercial terms were not disclosed, the Qantas Group will support Melbourne Airport's AUD4.5 billion (USD3.15 billion) international terminal expansion programme, which includes five additional widebody gates that are expected to accommodate Qantas Group aircraft.

The Qantas Group has also made a 15-year commitment to Melbourne's planned third runway, which is still on the drawing board but is tentatively scheduled to open in 2031. The nature of that commitment, however, was not disclosed.

In return, the Qantas Group is expected to benefit from upgrades to Melbourne's dated and increasingly congested international precinct.

"This will unlock growth for both Qantas and Melbourne Airport and improve the travel experience for millions of our customers every year," said Marcolina.

A subset of passengers will also benefit from the development of a new Qantas Business Lounge at the airport, which will be up to one-third larger than the existing subterrain lounge.

CEO says agreement is a vote of confidence in Melbourne Airport

Qantas Group airlines, including Qantas and Jetstar, are Melbourne Airport's largest customer, operating nearly 1,000 flights each week to and from 44 destinations, comprising 17 international and 27 domestic destinations.

The airport has, however, traditionally played second fiddle to Sydney when it comes to Qantas Group international operations. Jetstar and Qantas operate to a combined 32 international destinations from Sydney Airport (SYD), often with better frequencies and larger aircraft.

However, Melbourne Airport CEO Lorie Argus said the agreement represented a significant vote of confidence in Melbourne from the Qantas Group.

"Our partnership will bring together Melbourne Airport's investment in critical infrastructure with the Qantas Group's investment in aircraft, customer experience and network growth," she said.

Qantas and Melbourne Airport are expected to sign the final agreements in the coming months.

Photo: Qantas.

Contact the writer: andrew@aerosouthpacific.com