The first Airbus A220 has touched down in Northern Tasmania, with the new Qantas aircraft offering smoother, quieter and more environmentally-friendly transport. Footage by Joe Colbrook, Qantas
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00:00It's the start of a new era for passengers passing through Launceston Airport, where
00:05little after over an hour ago, the first of QantasLink's next generation of aircraft
00:10touched down from Melbourne.
00:12The new Airbus A220 jets had begun servicing the airline's routes previously serviced
00:17by the Boeing 717, which had been flying for a few decades now.
00:22Launceston Airport Chief Executive Officer Shane O'Hare heralded the arrival of the
00:26new aircraft as a game-changer.
00:28We're absolutely thrilled to have this aircraft flying here today, and from now on, these
00:33aircraft will serve exclusively Melbourne to Launceston, and then in a couple of weeks,
00:38on the 27th of October, the aircraft will start operating between Sydney and Launceston,
00:46and that's when we will farewell the last of the 717s.
00:49The new aircraft are faster, quieter, and can carry more passengers than the jets that
00:54they're replacing.
00:55They have all the modern creature comforts you'd expect, large windows, free Wi-Fi, and
00:59in-seat chargers.
01:01They also have about double the range of the old Boeing 717, which puts more airports within
01:07flying range from northern Tasmania.
01:09We're in continual discussion with Qantas Network planners and strategists on new route
01:15opportunities for Tasmania.
01:17This aircraft, yes, it will fly to Cairns, it will fly to Darwin.
01:22I'm not pre-empting anything here at all, but the aeroplane does have the legs to be
01:27able to operate non-stop to both airlines, pretty well anywhere on the Qantas Network
01:32in Australia.
01:33QantasLink CEO Rachel Yangoyan was also in Launceston to welcome the new aircraft.
01:38She said the airline's fleet renewal program was a win for travellers, and today's flight
01:44marked the next stage in what had been a decades-long relationship with Launceston.
01:49We've had a very long and proud history with Launceston.
01:52We've been operating as a Qantas Group for more than 30 years into Launceston, and we've
01:58operated all types of aircraft.
02:00Our Dash 8 aircraft, 717, 737 aircraft, and we're incredibly excited to add the 1820 to
02:07that mix, as that will ensure that we have the right capacity for the community here
02:12in Launceston.