SYDNEY: The Qantas is farewelling its last Boeing 767 as the trusty aircraft enters retirement After 29 years of service.
The specially named QF767, once the workhorse of the fleet, will make its final flight on this afternoon when it departs Melbourne for Sydney.
The Boeing 767 flight will do a flyover of the Sydney CBD, before landing at the airport at 6.25pm.
The widebody aircraft, which can carry 250 people, has been in the Qantas fleet since 1985.
During that time, it has carried almost 168 million passengers on more than 927,000 flights.
Captain Mike Galvin, Boeing 767 pilot and Qantas flying operations head, said the reliable aircraft served the airline well.
“The 767 has been a staple in the Qantas fleet for more than two decades and was a favourite with both crew and customers,” Mr Galvin said.
“While it’s sad to say goodbye, it’s definitely time to retire the 767s as we have been bringing in newer aircraft that are more advanced and fuel efficient.”
The move will cut the number of different Qantas aircrafts from 11 to seven.
Over the years, Qantas has had 41 Boeing 767s in its fleet. Together, they have flown more than 1.8 billion kilometres – the equivalent of 2438 return trips to the moon.
In recent years, the aircraft flew between Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane, and from the east coast to Perth.
Newer, larger A330s, which are receiving interior upgrades and can seat 300 people, will take over much of that flying with the rest done by more use of the airline’s smaller B737s.
Since the 2009 financial year, Qantas has had more than 140 new aircraft while retiring more than 80.
This has brought the average age of its fleet down to 7.7 years – the lowest it’s been for more than 20 years and significantly younger than the averages in North America, Europe or Asia Pacific.
