On a recent day in Toulouse, France, where Airbus-built planes are given final checks before being delivered to airlines, a senior Jetstar manager revealed the fleet was undergoing a subtle change.
New Jetstar aircraft were no longer being painted with the discount airline’s erstwhile iconic silver mica.
The airline had opted instead for grey, as could be seen on the latest A321neo, waiting on the tarmac.
“Previously... if you got close to it, you can see little silver specks in it. That’s why, in the sun, it had a real shine to it,” said senior fleet engineering manager Jordan Becroft.
Now the new Jetstar aircraft are being painted a “very similar” grey instead.
Although this was the fifth such plane with this colour, many passengers seemed not to notice, or if they did notice, not to care.
The reason for the change? Jetstar says this colour is physically lighter: “It saves around 30 to 40 kilograms in weight,” said Becroft, which he says, “is actually quite substantial”.
Over the long life of the plane, the kilos saved reduce fuel costs. Every kilo counts, especially as new models of aircraft are increasingly built for efficiency and cost savings.
These sorts of weight savings are getting looked at by every single supplier for products that go on to all these new aircraft, Becroft told the small crowd of assembled reporters, who attended as guests of Airbus and Qantas.
Switching to grey is expected to let Jetstar aircraft age more gracefully, too.
Five newly built Airbus A321neos have come off the assembly line in France with the new paint job. Jetstar said it would probably repaint its existing fleet of 11 Boeing 787s grey, too.
Jetstar’s fleet refresh is further advanced than Qantas. The 21 newer, more efficient Airbus A321LRs and A320neos that Jetstar operates helped it achieve a 54 per cent rise in domestic earnings over last year.
In the battle for profits, trimming costs at every turn is the name of the game.
For airlines, this has always been true. In recent years, all aspects of on-board equipment (drink carts) and services (duty-free goods) have been re-evaluated by airlines seeking to cut costs and improve emissions.
A Jetstar A321neo undergoes final checks and tests in Toulouse. Credit: Chris Zappone
Quite famously, US-based airline United saved $US300,000 ($480,000) a year by changing the paper stock on its in-flight magazine.
University of Sydney business professor Rico Merkert said it was a good time for Airbus, which had its “hands full” producing needed airplanes for carriers such as Qantas.
“They have a massive backlog now,” he said of the plane-maker.
In the current market, each new generation of plane must be noticeably more efficient than its predecessor to make it feasible for the carrier.
Being lighter and more efficient, the planes also lower the airline’s carbon emissions, which is a common goal.
After Jetstar takes possession of the planes from Airbus, the 321neos will be flown by Jetstar crews from Toulouse to Muscat in the gulf nation of Oman, then Kuala Lumpur and on to Melbourne.
Asked how long before the full fleet will be painted grey, Becroft said it would be a “long time”.
“Because all the existing fleet are still in silver mica,” he said. “So it just depends on how quickly we can put all the new neo aircraft into service.”
By then, the silver and orange Jetstar livery will be consigned to the history books. The deal-hungry public may hardly bat an eye.
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