Qantas has today unveiled new Economy seats with larger entertainment screens that will feature across the airline's Airbus A330s which operate international flights to Hong Kong, Singapore and Tokyo as part of a major refurbishment program.
The multimillion dollar investment in cabin upgrades will be rolled out across 10 A330-200 aircraft and includes:
- Installing the brand-new Economy seats that have been designed with extra customer comfort for Qantas' Project Sunrise ultra-long haul flights.
- 4K OLED 13.3" entertainment touchscreens for Economy with the latest generation user interface (20 per cent larger than the existing screen).
- USB-C fast charging and Bluetooth audio connectivity for Economy which allow users to use their own headphones.
Other key elements of the A330 cabin upgrade program include new mood lighting and the replacement of all curtains and carpets.
The existing Business Suites with fully-flat beds will remain on the aircraft. They continue to receive positive feedback from customers and are the same product that feature on Qantas' A380 and 787 Dreamliner fleet.
Work on the first A330 is expected to start in mid-2025 in Qantas' Brisbane maintenance facility with the first refurbished aircraft entering service by the end of the calendar year. The refurbishment program is expected to be completed by the end of 2026.
Qantas International CEO Cam Wallace said the multi-million dollar investment in existing A330s cabins would upgrade the experience for both passengers and crew as more new international aircraft progressively join the fleet over the coming years.
"We've used our fleet renewal program to completely rethink the inflight experience and these cabin upgrades mean we can bring next-generation features and designs to our existing aircraft," said Mr Wallace.
"Customers can look forward to brand new Economy seats that have been specially created to maximise comfort and provide features that our customers want for international travel. They're the same seats that will feature on our ultra long haul A350-1000ULR aircraft, so it will be a preview of the Project Sunrise flying experience."
Qantas announced the final piece of its jet fleet renewal program last year with a firm order for 24 aircraft to progressively replace its existing A330s - 12 Airbus A350s and 12 Boeing 787s arriving from FY27 into the next decade.
The longer range delivered by the 787 and A350 aircraft on order means they will be able to operate all the routes the A330s currently operate, as well as open up new ones.
The A330 aircraft being upgraded are scheduled to leave the Qantas fleet towards the end of the replacement program.
UPDATE ON INTERNATIONAL WI-FI ROLL OUT
Qantas has also started its international Wi-Fi roll out across the A330 fleet. Fast and free Wi-Fi is expected to be available for Qantas flights some routes in Asia on the Wi-Fi enabled A330 aircraft from December this year.
Passengers on activated aircraft can already to connect W-Fi while flying over Australia to destinations such as Hong Kong, Delhi and Bengaluru.
The service will offer enough bandwidth for every passenger to enjoy a fast and consistent connection, similar to Qantas Domestic flights where the speed and reliability of inflight Wi-Fi has driven average take-up rates of 75 per cent, with some routes showing up to 100 per cent uptake.
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