Jetstar To Take Delivery of 787 Dreamliner

27th May 2013

With the lifting of its global service suspension by FAA, the 787 Dreamliner returned to the skies on April 27 after more than three months of intensive testing for its airworthiness.

Jetstar was more than glad to welcome the news as it will take delivery its first Dreamliner towards the end of September this year. The new aircraft acquisition will signify the start of its parent company's massive refleeting program. Jetstar is a budget airline and wholly-owned subsidiary of Qantas.

Though no details yet as to the launching date and the routes for the aircraft's maiden service, the airline's CEO, Jayne Hrdlicka, disclosed that the aircraft will be deployed to popular routes such as Tokyo, Honolulu and Phuket. The wide-body twin-engine Airbus A330 aircraft is currently used in these routes.

The Australian debut for the next-generation aircraft is five years behind the original time frame since Qantas announced the launching date for its maiden service.

The mass production of the next-generation aircraft was delayed by more than 4 years before the final plane rolled out from its factory in late 2011 and took off for its first commercial flight in October 2011 from Tokyo to Hong Kong on All Nippon Airways. The series of delays also enabled Qantas to get compensation amounting to $150 million from Boeing company as 'opportunity cost.'

As a result, Qantas canceled 35 Dreamliners it earlier ordered from Boeing.

All Dreamliners on order by Qantas will be shared between the parent airline and its subsidiaries. The first fourteen aircraft, however, will be assigned to Jetstar for its refleeting program. The airline is taking advantage of the aircraft's state-of-the-art technology features which is designed to significantly reduce fuel consumption and maintenance cost as well as giving optimum comfort to passengers on board.

On the other hand, its chief rival,Virgin Australia, is also on the refleeting program with a mix of B787 and A350 to replace its aging A330 and B777 planes. The planes on order will be used on both international and transcontinental services starting in 2017.

John Borghetti, Virgin Australia's CEO, remarked earlier this year that the airline will decide on what type of aircraft it will consider acquiring by the end of the year.

He said that the airline is not rushing into acquiring more planes for its future plans. He made it clear that his views on the integrity of the Dreamliner has not been dented by the recent problems haunting the airliner.