Qantas has ordered 20 additional Airbus A321XLRs to accelerate the renewal of its narrowbody fleet as continuing strong demand helped deliver a stronger full-year profit. The additional A321XLRs will start delivering in 2028, with 16 earmarked to have lie-flat business class seats that will serve on transcontinental and medium haul international routes. "These additional A321XLRs will accelerate the retirement of our 737 fleet and open up new opportunities for domestic and international travel, allowing us to reach destinations that aren’t possible with our current narrowbody fleet," says Qantas chief executive Vanessa Hudson. Qantas has taken delivery of two A321XLRs from its previous orders for 28 which are configured for domestic and shorthaul international routes, which are set to enter service in mid-September. By June 2026 it will receive seven of the type. The airline adds that the first A321XLRs for budget unit Jetstar will start to arrive in 2027 and will be fitted with two-class cabins to suit international routes. Chief financial officer Rob Marcolina says that the aircraft will start to operate on those services from 2028. Qantas adds that its first A350-1000ULR for its 'Project Sunrise' routes will move into final assembly in October, with deliveries set to commence from October 2026, subject to certification and other approvals. The fleet moves come as the group lifted its underlying profit before tax for the year ended June by 15% to A$2.39 billion ($1.56 billion), as revenue rose 8.6% to A$23.8 billion. ASKs across the group rose 8.1% but were surpassed by a 10.7% lift in RPKs, taking its seat factor up two percentage points to 84.7%. Statutory profit after tax rose 28% to A$1.6 billion. Qantas says that its group domestic operations delivered a 12% rise in underlying earnings before interest and tax (EBIT) to A$1.52 billion, aided by Qantas-branded services lifting revenue five percent, while Jetstar services delivered a 55% rise in EBIT. Group international EBIT rose 20% to A$903 million as strong demand for premium travel on Qantas services continued, while Jetstar saw "particularly positive performance into Japan, Thailand and South Korea". In its outlook, Qantas states that it expects ongoing strong demand into the first half of the next fiscal year that will push its group domestic revenues up by 3-5% while international revenue is expected to increase 2-3%. Group capacity over that first half is expected to grow 5%, led by a 7% rise in Qantas International capacity, while Jetstar's international capacity will be flat as a result of the closure in July of Jetstar Asia.

Ethiopian Airlines' maintenance arm has been approved to complete performance-restoration shop visits on Boeing 737 Max-powering CFM International Leap-1B engines. The African carrier says that it completed a Leap-1B engine test at its facility following certification by the Ethiopian Civil Aviation Authority and US Federal Aviation Administration. "This capability puts Ethiopian MRO among the very few MRO facilities which have achieved the testing capability of the Leap-1B engine," states Ethiopian chief executive Mesfin Tasew. "As we are growing our MRO services and expanding our capabilities, this is a milestone moment in the history of Ethiopian MRO," he adds. Related Articles

Air Niugini chief executive Gary Seddon has reportedly been suspended by the airline's board as it seeks clarity over which airports in the country its incoming Airbus A220s will be able to operate from. A report in local newspaper Post Courier quoting the airline's chairman Karl Yalo says that the suspension is a "procedural matter" as it waits on information on the A220, the first of which will be delivered soon. Yalo says that the information sought includes "operations manuals, spare parts, reporting procedures, the availability of the existing fleet and contingency plans" ahead of the A220's introduction into service, scheduled for mid-September. Cirium has contacted Air Niugini for comment but has not received a response at the time of publishing. The board's request for information on A220 operations appears to be linked to earlier controversy over the suitability of the new jet to operate to several airports across Papua New Guinea that are currently served by its Fokker 100 and 70 jets. National Airports Corporation issued a statement in early August that identified only five airports – Port Moresby, Nadzab, Kavieng, Mamate and Gurney – are immediately ready for A220 operations, but nine other airports required upgrades that will be rolled out between September 2026 and early 2029. In response, Seddon had said in a 4 August statement that Air Niugini and Airbus had " evaluated the performance of both the A220-100 and A220-300 models and confirmed these aircraft can serve every airport where our Fokker 70s and 100s operate". Nonetheless, he adds that some A220 flights may face operational restrictions due to "infrastructure limitations". Air Niugini has released images of its first A220-300 which has been painted in special livery celebrating the country's 50th year of independence. Cirium fleets data shows that the carrier has eight A220-100s on order and is leasing three -300s from Azorra. They will replace its nine Fokker jets and three Boeing 737-800s.