Qantas ditches signature red, features Aboriginal art on new A220 plane

After two weeks in the paint shop, Qantas’ new A220 has a unique new look featuring Aboriginal art.

After two weeks in the paint shop at an Airbus factory in Canada, the unique makeover of Qantas’ first new A220 aircraft is complete.

The new QantasLink aircraft decorated with blue and green Indigenous art instead of the airline’s signature red is expected to join the rest of Qantas’ fleet early next year and will initially fly between Melbourne and Canberra.

It is the first of 29 A220s that will gradually replace QantasLink’s Boeing 717s. They are more fuel efficient and have double the range.

The airline explained the livery on its first A220 aircraft features the artwork of Pitjantjatjara artist Maringka Baker and tells the Dreaming story of two sisters who traverse remote Australia together, covering vast distances to find their way home.

The aircraft has been named after the artwork, Minyma Kutjara Tjukurpa – The Two Sisters Creation Story.

QantasLink's new A220 will fly between Melbourne and Canberra. Picture: Qantas

It will be the sixth aircraft in Qantas’ Flying Art Series; the first a Boeing 747 in 1994 and the latest, a Boeing 787 in 2018.

news.com.au understands two of the five aircraft in the series are still flying, meaning the new A220 will be the third in our skies.

The livery features more than 20,000 dots and the design involved about 200 painters. About 130 stencils were used to replicate the detailed designs.

The plane, part of Qantas’ Flying Art Series, features the artwork of Pitjantjatjara artist Maringka Baker. Picture: Qantas

Qantas said it was the most complex livery Airbus has ever completed for this aircraft type.

Qantas Group CEO Vanessa Hudson said the new aircraft would be a game-changer for domestic and regional flights.

“These aircraft have the potential to change the way our customers travel across the country, with the ability to connect any two cities or towns in Australia,” Ms Hudson said.

“That means faster and more convenient travel for business trips and exciting new possibilities for holiday travel.

“A whole new fleet type also means a lot of opportunities for our people to operate and look after these aircraft.”

The QantasLink A220 will include 10 business class seats and 127 economy seats.

Another six aircraft are scheduled to be delivered by mid-2025.

The plan is for the A220s to mostly fly between smaller capital cities, like Canberra and Hobart, and the airline’s major hubs in Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney.

New A220s will gradually replace QantasLink’s Boeing 717s. Picture: Qantas

Qantas did not say if there were plans for any other new aircraft as part of its fleet renewal to join the Flying Art Series and feature Indigenous art when asked by news.com.au.

Qantas revealed at its annual general meeting on November 4 that it spent about $370,000 on supporting the Yes campaign in the lead up to the Voice to Parliament referendum, which failed.

Qantas Chair Richard Goyder said Qantas management, led by former CEO Alan Joyce, had made a recommendation to support the campaign, which was endorsed by the board.

“The contribution we made was in kind and equal to about $370,000,” he said.

“We knew at the time that there would be a diverse set of views but we felt it was important that we continued to support what we had done for a long period of time in terms of Aboriginal reconciliation.”

Mr Joyce unveiled three planes with the Yes23 campaign logo at Sydney Airport in August alongside Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.