and
Boeing 747-200 at Longreach's
Qantas Founders Outback Museum Qantas has had a varied fleet since the airline's inception. Following its foundation shortly after the end of the
First World War, the first aircraft to serve in the fleet was the
Avro 504K, a small biplane. In 1959, Qantas entered the jet age, with a delivery of seven
Boeing 707 aircraft.
First aircraft Qantas' first aircraft was an
Avro 504K, with a 100-horsepower (74 kW) water-cooled Sunbeam Dyak engine. A replica of which can be seen at Qantas Campus,
Mascot. By 1921 it also operated a Royal Aircraft Factory BE2E with a 90-horsepower (67 kW) air-cooled engine. In the late 1930s, Qantas inaugurated its three-day-long
Short Empire Flying Boat service between
Rose Bay and
Singapore-Kallang Airport. The run had stopovers in
Townsville,
Darwin and
Surabaya. In 1943, the service was replaced by a long-range service, the
Catalina flying boat.
World War II During
World War II, Qantas operated flying boats on the Australia-England route in cooperation with
British Overseas Airways Corporation (BOAC). After Italy entered the war in June 1940, this became the
Horseshoe Route between Sydney and
Durban in South Africa, with the South Africa – UK stage being by sea. This service was a vital line of communication between Australia and the United Kingdom. In June 1943, Qantas employed 5
Consolidated PBY Catalina flying boats—obtained under
Lend-Lease through the
British Air Ministry—to establish a route between
Perth in Australia and
Colombo in
Sri Lanka, then Ceylon, over the
Indian Ocean. Becoming known as
The Double Sunrise, this route remains the longest non-stop commercial flight ever undertaken, requiring between 27 and 32 hours to complete, depending on winds. Over the next two years, 271 crossings took place. Starting in June 1944, Qantas augmented the Catalinas with the first of two converted
Consolidated B-24 Liberator bombers, which could complete the Australia–Ceylon journey in substantially less time, with a much larger payload. The route was named the
Kangaroo Route and marked the first time that Qantas' now-famous kangaroo logo was used. Passengers received a certificate proclaiming them as members of
The Order of the Longest Hop. In June 1945,
Avro Lancastrians were introduced on the Australia–England service, with the Liberators and Catalinas being shifted to other routes. In 1949,
Douglas DC-4 Skymasters were obtained, replacing Lancastrians on some routes. From 1954, Qantas placed into service the first of sixteen
L-1049 Super Constellation aircraft, which remained in the fleet to 1963. into the Southern Hemisphere for the first time on its longest ever trip, from
Athens to
Darwin.
Jet age at
Frankfurt Airport, 1972. Note the fifth engine under the wing. Qantas entered the jet age in July 1959 with
Boeing 707 services to the United States. The service was extended to
London via
New York. In October 1959, Sydney to London services via
Bombay began. With the certification of the
turbofan engine, Qantas modified its existing 707-138 fleet with the turbofans, naming its Boeing 707 aircraft
V-Jets, from the Latin
vannus, meaning "fan" as commonly accepted, but really standing for "thing that blows against the grain". In total, Qantas took delivery of seven Boeing 707-138s, and a further six 707-138Bs. From November 1959 until May 1963, Qantas operated six
de Havilland Comets, four being
wet leased from BOAC. They were crewed by BOAC employees and featured Qantas titles on the fuselage in place of the BOAC titles. In February 1965, Qantas placed in service the first of twenty-two Boeing 707-338Cs, which replaced the Boeing 707-138Bs and provided for expansion of the fleet. These flew until the last remaining one was retired in March 1979. From 1971, Qantas operated the
Boeing 747-238B, which strengthened its long haul fleet. When the Boeing 707s were retired in 1979, Qantas became the world's only all Boeing 747 operator. In 1981, two short body
Boeing 747SPs entered the fleet for flights to
Wellington, and they were subsequently used on non-stop flights between Sydney and
Los Angeles. In November 1984, Qantas began service with six Boeing 747-338s with an extended upper deck. From August 2000, seven additional Boeing 767-336ERs were leased and subsequently purchased from
British Airways. On its delivery flight in July 1989,
Qantas' first Boeing 747-400 flew a record-breaking non-stop flight from London to Sydney in little more than 20 hours. This record stood until bettered by a
Boeing 787 in October 2019. Qantas purchased 60 Boeing 747s, with the last delivered in 2003. Fifty-seven were purchased new and three second-hand. Qantas leased a further five from other airlines at various stages. In the early 1990s, Qantas was one of eight major airlines working with
Boeing on the design of the
Boeing 777. Despite being part of the design group, Qantas never acquired any 777s. Several aviation commentators have criticised this decision, as the 777 appeared to be a good fit for Qantas' requirements. While the reasons have never been made public by Qantas, it is believed that various reasons contributed to the decision, such as a
Civil Aviation Safety Authority restriction on
ETOPS 180 operations, errors made by Qantas in the forecasting of future fuel prices which made the 777 appear expensive to operate, and a desire to keep the number of types in the fleet to a minimum. In 2008, Qantas took delivery of the first of 12
Airbus A380s. These aircraft were decommissioned during the COVID-19 pandemic, however, by April 2024, Qantas had returned ten of its original twelve A380s to service, with all serviceable aircraft having undergone major refurbishment work to enhance the onboard soft furnishings.
1970 fleet at
Wellington Airport, 1984 == Recent retirements ==