Qantas does not see longhaul international flights resuming until September 2021. In response, it plans to mothball its fleet of Boeing 787s in California.
Qantas Will Store Boeing 787s In California Desert
Qantas planned to begin nonstop service between Chicago and Brisbane onboard its 787-9 this year. It operates 787s to Hong Kong, New York, Los Angeles, and London. Over the last several months, the Dreamliner has also served as the primary aircraft for the many Qantas-operated repatriation flights. But with almost everyone safely home and most international flights suspended due to the pandemic, Qantas will mothball its fleet of 787s.
Qantas has 11 787-9s. By the end of September, most will be flown to Southern California Logistics Airport (VCV) in Victorville, CA. There, they will join over 200 other jets, many temporarily parked, including Qantas’ fleet of Airbus A380s.
A Qantas spokesperson told Executive Traveler:
“From September, most of the fleet will be positioned up to Victorville in the USA. In June we said around 100 of our aircraft would be stored for up to 12 months, some for longer, and our 787 fleet is part of that.
“The humidity in California is much lower than in Australia, so it’s much better for long-term storage of aircraft – the same reason why we’ve moved our A380s there. All of the aircraft will be looked after by our Los Angeles-based engineering team.”
Qantas will hold “some” 787s back as a “contingency aircraft.” When international flying does resume, Qantas expects the 787 to fly first.
“We’ve said we expect the 787s to be the first aircraft to return to service when long-haul international travel returns, so the rest will come back to Australia when the time is right.”
CONCLUSION
I could understand moving the A380 to the desert and retiring the 747, but the fact that Qantas is mothballing its 787s really demonstrates how much air travel has shut down in Australia compared to other nations.
At this rate Qantas may be flying Lockheed Constellation’s between Sydney and Auckland next month.
It simply reflects the reality: the Australian government has no intention of reopening borders, in or out, until a vaccine is developed, approved , produced in bulk and deployed . Likely that means another 12 months or more. Another potential hurdle will be the resistance the lunatic anti-vaccination ferals, although fortunately they are less common in Australia than in the USA.
Is Australia willing to prop up Qantas and Virgin due to this outlier policy decision?
They are guaranteed income from the government jobkeeper scheme until March 2021. This pays AUD 1500 per week ( USD1150) to employees who might otherwise be laid off. Both airlines have significantly reduced their workforce.
I think it’s likely there’ll be some further government assistance for the sector, but they’ll go to great lengths to avoid characterising it as a bailout.
QANTAS looked set for a fast rebound, until the various state borders shut down again in the wake of the resurgence of the virus in Melbourne. The international routes don’t matter all that much , as they don’t make any real money (…so long as costs can be contained…) . The real profits are in domestic flights.
It’s $1500 per fortnight. Big difference…
If you want to take an under tested vaccine that will be approved if it is at least 50% effective, go ahead. Rational people will be concerned about health risks from the vaccine. I’m young. I never get a flu shot because my risk factors are low. It’s the same with COVID. Vaccines do have risks.
Interesting comments Paolo re not opening borders until a vaccine is found. If the government is that stupid the country will starve to death. This may go on for years and Qantas is heading for the hills.
The vibe in the US is if you dont forge ahead with an opneing of some sort there wont be anything left when you come out of hibernation. I tink this virus will be around for a long time so learn to live with it. The Australian government seems to think they can beat it and I hope they are right. Time will tell, it will also tell if Qantas has chosen the right option. The government is taking it one step at a time, reviewing every few months, for Alan Joyce to be touting planes wont be in the sky until next September is like throwing in the towel in my opinion.