Tag Archives: Boeing 747-438

QANTAS’ new 787-9 VH-ZND due in March will feature a special livery

QANTAS Airways’ latest Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner, registered as VH-ZND, is under construction at Boeing. It will be the fourth Boeing 787-9 for the carrier. VH-ZND will celebrate Australia’s indigenous peoples with a new special livery. It is due to be unveiled in February and will be arrive in Australia in March

The airline issued this statement and photos:

QANTAS will honor Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians with a special livery on its newest Dreamliner to enter the fleet.

This will be the fifth design in QANTAS’ flying art series, which started more than 20 years ago, and will be unveiled when the Boeing 787-9 is completed next month. It will be the second flying art aircraft currently in service with the national carrier and the only one dedicated to international flights.

The unique livery reflects the long, rich history of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders and is in keeping with the airline’s commitment to championing reconciliation and promoting the best of Australia to the world.

The latest design has been conceptualized by leading Indigenous owned design studio Balarinji, which has developed all of the flying art aircraft.

The new Dreamliner carrying the special livery (registration VH-ZND) is the fourth to enter the fleet, and will be welcomed into Australia with a special arrival event in Alice Springs in early March 2018 before entering service on routes like Melbourne-Los Angeles and Perth-London.

KEY FACTS

To date, five QANTAS aircraft have been painted in Indigenous designs, with Wunala Dreaming carried on two separate aircraft (see summary of each below).
Each livery has been designed in collaboration with Balarinji design studio.
QANTAS has worked with Balarinji for three decades on aircraft livery projects and other design work, including the Peter Morrissey uniform of 2003.

	*Wunala Dreaming* Inspired by the natural colors of Australia, Wunala Dreaming of the Yanyuwa people from the Gulf of Carpentaria, celebrated the reproduction of all living things in the continuing harmony of nature’s seasons. This artwork was carried on two different Boeing 747-400 aircraft (VH-OJB 1994-2003, and VH-OEJ 2003 – 2011).
	*Nalanji Dreaming* Nalanji, meaning ‘Our Place’, was a celebration of the balance and harmony of nature in Australia and reflected the lush colour palette of tropical Australia. This artwork appeared on a QANTAS 747-300 (VH-EBU) from 1995 until the aircraft was retired in 2005.
	*Yananyi Dreaming* Using vibrant colors, Yananyi Dreaming by Rene Kulitja depicted the dramatic landscape surrounding Uluru. Pathways lead to the symbol of Uluru which was illustrated as both a physical form, and as an abstract representation of concentric circles. Yananyi Dreaming was illustrated on a 737 aircraft (VH-VXB) in 2002.
	*Mendoowoorrji* Inspired by the work of late West Australian Aboriginal painter, Paddy Bedford, Mendoowoorrji is an interpretation of the 2005 painting ‘Medicine Pocket’ which captures the essence of Mendoowoorrji, Bedford’s mother’s country in the East Kimberley region of Western Australia. Mendoowoorrji was delivered to QANTAS in 2013, taking over 950-man hours to complete over a five-day period. The 737-800 (VH-XZJ) remains in service with QANTAS.

Top Copyright Photo (all others by QANTAS): QANTAS Airways Boeing 747-438 VH-OJB (msn 24373) (Wunala Dreaming) CDG (Christian Volpati). Image: 930704.

Below Copyright Photo: QANTAS Airways Boeing 747-338 VH-EBU (msn 23223) (Nalanji Dreaming) SYD (John Adlard). Image: 930000.

QANTAS Airways aircraft slide show:

QANTAS’ first Boeing 787 will arrive in Sydney on October 20

QANTAS Airways has unveiled its first Boeing Dreamliner, the game-changing aircraft that will open up new routes and new levels of comfort for travellers.

The latest addition to the QANTAS fleet, the 787-9 Dreamliner features next generation seating in Economy, Premium Economy and Business Class (below), with more space and a lower passenger count than most of its competitors.

Other Dreamliner features include larger windows to create a greater sense of space, better air quality to help reduce jetlag and ride dampening technology to minimise the effects of turbulence. It is also quieter, more fuel efficient and generates fewer greenhouse emissions than similarly-sized aircraft.

At a ceremony at the Boeing factory in Seattle, QANTAS Group CEO Alan Joyce said the first Dreamliner signaled the start of an exciting new era for the national carrier and for the travelling public.

“The Dreamliner makes routes like Perth to London possible, which will be the first direct air link Australia has ever had with Europe. And it means other potential routes are now on the drawing board as well.

“There are lots of elements that combine to make the QANTAS Dreamliner special. The seats, the lighting, the entertainment, personal storage, right through to the special crockery, cutlery and glassware that weighs on average 11 per cent less.

“We’re working with sleep specialists, dieticians and other scientists at the University of Sydney to see how adjustments to our inflight service can improve wellbeing and help people adjust to new timezones,” added Mr Joyce.

The interiors of the aircraft and seating were shaped by Australian industrial designer David Caon who has collaborated with QANTAS on cabin upgrades and its lounges in Singapore and Hong Kong.

A total of eight Dreamliners will be delivered to QANTAS by the end of 2018, enabling the retirement of five of the airline’s 747s (below).

Above Copyright Photo: QANTAS Airways Boeing 747-438 VH-OJL (msn 25151) LAX (Michael B. Ing). Image: 921533.

Two Dreamliner routes have been announced so far – Melbourne to Los Angeles starting in December this year and Perth to London starting in March next year. Additional flights from Brisbane have also been flagged.

The name ‘Great Southern Land’ was chosen for the first aircraft out of 45,000 suggestions from the travelling public. Each Dreamliner will be named after something that is uniquely Australian, including animals, places and literature.

As part of the aircraft unveiling in Seattle, Australian band, Icehouse, performed its anthemic 1982 song Great Southern Land, the inspiration for which came to singer and songwriter, Iva Davies, as his Qantas flight crossed the country’s red centre.

The Dreamliner is painted in QANTAS’ updated livery, first revealed in late 2016 in preparation for new aircraft entering the fleet and the airline’s centenary in 2020. This marks only the fifth time the iconic Flying Kangaroo has been updated, with those updates traditionally coinciding with the introduction of a significant new aircraft type.

The Dreamliner, registered as VH-ZNA, is scheduled to land in Sydney on the morning of October 20, 2017 after it performs a flyover of Sydney Harbour, weather and air traffic control permitting.

All photos by QANTAS Airways except the Boeing 747.