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<i>Qantas Airbus A330-200<br>(VH-EBA).</i><br> | ||
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Revision as of 10:54, 21 March 2003
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Qantas Airbus A330-200 |
Qantas is an acronym for "Queensland and Northern Territory Aerial Services Limited," Australia's oldest and biggest airline.
Since the merger with Australian Airlines in 1995, it has flown an extensive schedule between all Australian capital cities, as well as many regional cities and towns. It also flies many international routes to and from Australia. The airline was government owned until the 1990s, but was successfully privatised, with British Airways owning a significant stake.
Qantas has a reputation for being an aggressive competitor in the Australian aviation market. Over the years, several domestic Australian airlines have gone out of business amid complaints of anti-competitive pricing by Qantas and exhorbitant prices on the newly non-competitive routes. As of September 2001, with the collapse of Ansett Airlines, Qantas holds a near monopoly on the Australian domestic air travel market. However, with several airlines venturing into the Australian market, such as Virgin Blue, this situation is likely to change.
Qantas has attempted to expand into the New Zealand domestic air travel market, first with a shareholding in Air New Zealand, then by a franchise takeover of Ansett New Zealand - which subsequently went bankrupt, and most recently with another "working relationship" and cornerstone shareholding in Air New Zealand. Already the major airline in Australasia, should this latest attempt be successful, Qantas will become a near monopoly. Consequently, the share purchase is undergoing regulatory scrutiny in both Australia and New Zealand, with an answer not expected before mid 2003.
The company was founded on 16 November 1920. As of 2003, Qantas has never had any fatal crashes, though on one occasion an airliner overshot a runway and required such extensive repairs that the aircraft was virtually rebuilt.
Current fleet
- Boeing 747 33
- Airbus A330 2
- Boeing 767 32
- Boeing 737 56
- Boeing 717 14
- BAE 146 17
On order:
- Airbus A380 12
- Boeing 747 3
- Airbus A330 11
- Boeing 737 8
- Boeing 747 3
(As of 2002.)