Qantas buys a chunk of Cobham Aviation

The move will see regional QantasLink services returned to the Flying Kangaroo.

QantasLink Boeing 717 on the tarmac at Alice Springs Airport heading to Darwin.

Qantas has bought a chunk of Cobham Aviation for an undisclosed sum, in a move that will see regional QantasLink services returned to the Flying Kangaroo.

National Jet Systems has operated 20 Boeing 717s on behalf of QantasLink for the past 15-years, using 380 employees.

Although most are currently stood down, Qantas is expected to take on the employees who will remain under existing National Jet Systems’ agreements.

QantasLink CEO John Gissing said Cobham Australia’s strategic review, which commenced mid-last year, provided an opportunity for the two parties to reassess the operating model for the B717s.

“Bringing the operation of our Boeing 717 aircraft into the group provides us with more certainty for the future, which is incredibly important as we come out the other side of the coronavirus,” Mr Gissing said.

“The B717s provide us with flexibility to service many segments of the domestic market, including regional routes, fly in fly out operations or more frequencies to capital cities. These are the kind of routes where travel demand is likely to recover first.”

He said the “back office” changes were unlikely to be noticed by customers.

“These aircraft already have the iconic flying kangaroo on the tail, and pilots and cabin crew already wear QantasLink uniforms,” said Mr Gissing

“Cobham has been a fantastic partner of ours for almost 30-years and we thank them for their professionalism and dedication.”

Cobham Aviation Services Chairman Kim Gillis said the agreement was timely and made good business sense for both Cobham and Qantas.

“Cobham is proud of its successful partnership with Qantas since 1991,” Mr Gillis said.

“This outcome is testament to the exceptional levels of service and safety the B717 pilots, cabin crew and support staff have provided to Qantas over the years – I am sure many of them will see this as being brought ‘home’.”

The transition is expected to be completed in the coming months.

As with most aviation employees in Australia, the majority of the Cobham employees who are part of the QantasLink B717 operation are temporarily stood down due to the reduction in fights from the coronavirus.

Cobham will continue to operate four dedicated freighters for Qantas Freight, which predominantly deliver overnight mail and parcels.