Qantas has announced a new investment in its De Havilland regional turboprop fleet, with the acquisition of 14 additional mid-life Dash 8-400 (Q400) aircraft.
The first Q400 is expected to join the QantasLink fleet by the end of 2024. Its 19 smaller Q200 and Q300 aircraft will be gradually phased out of its fleet.
This investment now brings Qantas’s regional turboprop fleet to 45, providing additional benefits for its subsidiary, QantasLink. The regional airline currently has 31 Q400s in its fleet, and the new aircraft will have 78 seats – four more than the airline’s existing Q400s.
Photo: Qantas
Qantas Group CEO Vanessa Hudson said the turboprop renewal programme 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,” Hudson said.
This turboprop acquisition comes as Qantas Group accelerates its broader jet fleet renewal programme, with a third Airbus A220 expected to be delivered by July 2024, intended to replace its ageing Boeing 717s. It took delivery of its first A220 in December 2023. The fleet investment will be spread out across FY25 and FY26.
“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.
“We know sustainable travel is important for our customers. 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,” Hudson added.
