Qantas strips Airbus A330 bare as it reveals where plane is going

The major Aussie airline revealed it stripped bare an Airbus A330 passenger aircraft after making a big announcement to its fleet.

Aussie carrier Qantas has stripped one of its planes bare before it travels overseas to be converted into an airfreighter.

The move comes as the airline prepares to modernise its widebody fleet with incoming Airbus A350-900s, while answering to strong demand for airfreight.

Aviation enthusiasts and frequent flyers were recently invited to Qantas’ Hangar 96 at Sydney Airport where they were able to acquire pieces of the outgoing Airbus A330-200, registered as VH-EBE and nicknamed Kangaroo Valley.

The $16,300 raised will go to Qantas Pathfinders – a group of current and past Qantas staff which raises funds for NextSense (previously Royal Institute for Deaf and Blind Children).

In total, the charity has raised $8 million since its establishment in 1967.

Qantas sold parts of an Airbus A330 passenger aircraft before the stripped-back plane travels overseas to be converted into an airfreighter.

Some of the items on offer included a bar cart for $2000, according to Travel Weekly, exit signs at $550, two business class seats for $3600, a cabin crew jump seat for $900 and lifejacket apron for $500.

The auction was held to ensure as much of the aircraft interior was reused, recycled or repurposed.

Frequent flyers and aviation enthusiasts were invited to an open house in Qantas’ Hangar 96 at Sydney Airport to inspect and bid on items from the aircraft.

“We’re really pleased to give people this unique chance to own a piece of Qantas history and raise money for a great charity,” Qantas executive manager of freight Catriona Larritt said.

“It’s also a nice way to highlight our commitment to minimising waste as part of our sustainability focus.”

This included exit signs, bathroom vanity and mirror, and premium economy seats.

A cabin crew seat jump seat was also among the auctioned items.

The aircraft in question began its career as a passenger plane with Jetstar in 2007 before moving to the mainline carrier in 2015.

“In its new adventure as a dedicated freighter, it will carry tonnes of imports and exports – from fresh flowers and live seafood to thousands of e-commerce parcels and packages,” Ms Larritt said.

Two business class seats were reportedly sold for $3600.

Once converted, the A330 will be able to carry up to 50 tonnes of freight on each flight.

News.com.au understands the Qantas Group is steadily renewing its domestic and international fleet, with orders and purchase right options for almost 300 aircraft.

The auction raised $16,300 for Qantas Pathfinders, a group of current and past Qantas staff which raises funds for charity NextSense.

Eleven new aircraft are scheduled to arrive in 2023 and with this, some older passenger aircraft, including two A330s, will be converted into freighters to help meet increased demand for air cargo that has been fuelled by a sustained increase in e-commerce.

A second A330 is currently undergoing passenger to freighter conversion and is scheduled to join the dedicated Australia Post freight fleet from later this year.

Qantas Freight has a fleet of 18 aircraft and the first of an additional six A321 freighters is scheduled to arrive early next year.