DALLAS — The departure of one of Qantas’ (QF) Boeing 717 jets, the first of its kind to be registered and flown in Australia, marks the end of an era for the century-old airline.
Over the course of two decades, the Boeing 717, dubbed “Blue Mountains,” flew over 29,000 times and safely transported over 1.6 million passengers.
The departing Boeing 717 was joined at Sydney Airport (SYD) yesterday by two new additions to the airline’s fleet: a QF Boeing 787 Dreamliner and a Jetstar (JQ) Airbus A321neo LR. These next-generation planes are part of a fleet renewal investment that will see the Qantas Group receive a new plane every three weeks on average over the next few years.
This departure is part of the carrier’s “Project Winton” fleet renewal program, which will gradually replace the airline’s 20 Boeing 717s with 29 more fuel-efficient Airbus A220 aircraft. The first A220 is expected later this year, followed by the first of 20 A321XLRs at the end of 2024.