Qantas signals intention to go electric on regional routes after fleet ‘refresh’ with Q400s

Qantas is investing in ‘newish’ Q400s on regional routes while it explores electric and battery powered aircraft for the flights.

Qantas will add 14 “midlife” Dash 8-400s to its regional fleet as it looks to electric or battery-powered aircraft for the future of short-haul hops to rural Australia.

The “newish” Q400s are on average more than 10 years younger than the aircraft they are replacing – 19 smaller Q200 and Q300 aircraft – as well as being faster.

There will be no loss of capacity across the fleet, as the incoming Q400s are each fitted with 78 seats which is four more than existing Q400s.

Qantas Group chief executive Vanessa Hudson said the turboprop renewal program was part of the airline’s ongoing commitment to serve regional Australia.

“As the national carrier, we are proud of the role we have played for more than 100 years keeping regional communities connected, and this investment ensures there will be ongoing reliable air services across many parts of regional Australia,” Ms Hudson said.

“QantasLink turboprops carry more than 3.5 million customers to more than 50 destinations around regional Australia every year, and these next-generation aircraft allow us to improve the travel experience with a faster and more comfortable experience.

“By consolidating our turboprops into a single fleet type, we’ll be able to further improve our reliability and provide a better recovery for our customers during disruptions as well as reducing complexity and cost for our operation.”

A QantasLink Dash 8-400 takes to the skies over Sydney. Picture: AFP

She indicated it was likely the Q400s would be the last fossil-fuel based turboprops to join the QantasLink fleet, as the airline targeted net zero carbon emissions by 2050.

“We know sustainable travel is important for our customers,” Ms Hudson said.

“These additional Q400s allow us to provide certainty to the regions over the next decade while we work with aircraft manufacturers and other suppliers on electric or battery powered aircraft that are the right size and range for our network.”

QantasLink chief executive Rachel Yangoyan said the additional Q400s were essentially a stop gap to get the airline through the next decade or so, as it watched what emerged in terms of new technology.

“The big manufacturers are talking about it, they’re playing around with some really innovative little aircraft but it’s not there yet, but it’s something we’re watching closely,” Ms Yangoyan said.

She said that whatever happened, Qantas would continue to serve regional Australia “as we have done over more than 100 years”.

The investment in the additional Q400s was part of the airline’s broader fleet renewal program, and a third A220 will be delivered to QantasLink in coming weeks.

The cost of the new and replacement aircraft could be predominantly spread across the next two years, of which the majority would be in the 2025 financial year.

Qantas noted that the investment would be managed within existing net capital expenditure guidance of $3.7bn to $3.9bn.

As well as the regional aircraft, Qantas is buying new A321s to replace its domestic fleet of Boeing 737-800s, has 24 A350s on order, and also 12 787s.

The first A350-1000 is due to arrive in 2026 ahead of Qantas’ long awaited Project Sunrise flights from Sydney to New York and London non stop.

A dozen A350s are expected to fly those ultra-long-range routes, while the remaining 12 were are to replace ageing A330s, and eventually A380s which are due to be retired in the next decade.

Originally published as Qantas signals intention to go electric on regional routes after fleet ‘refresh’ with Q400s