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Qantas will overhaul the cabins on more than 40 of its 737s as its first A321XLR is slated to enter the fleet in June.
The Flying Kangaroo will give a cabin facelift to 42 737s, including new business and economy seats, larger overhead lockers, and new carpets, sidewalls, and mood lighting. The announcement comes shortly after its first A321XLR, VH-OGA ‘Great Ocean Road’, left the paint shop in Europe.
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Qantas will be one of the first airlines in the world to operate the A321XLR, with its first entering the final assembly line in December; the airline has released new photos showing it in its full livery. A total of four are expected by the end of the calendar year.
“The A321XLR offers more comfortable Economy seats, a 66 per cent increase in Business seats, a quieter flight, long and wide spacious cabin, extra-large overhead lockers and fast free Wi-Fi,” Qantas said in a press release.
According to Vanessa Hudson, chief executive of Qantas Group, the 737s to be overhauled are those due to leave the fleet last as part of the airline’s renewal program, which will see the aircraft type gradually replaced with A321XLRs; some earlier-retiring aircraft will also be refreshed.
“Investing in our fleet is one of the most significant ways that we can transform the flying experience for our customers and make sure we’re consistently delivering a great journey,” Hudson said.
“As we bring more new aircraft into our fleet, we are also making our existing aircraft look and feel like new.
“Previous cabin upgrade programs have delivered great outcomes for our customers, and allowed us to bring next generation designs and technologies to current fleet that reflect how our customers want to travel.
“This investment in cabins will also support our people who are dedicated to providing the best inflight experience to our customers.”
The Flying Kangaroo last year revealed that it would upgrade the economy seats on its older A330s, which operate international flights to Hong Kong, Singapore and Tokyo.
The “multimillion-dollar investment” in cabin upgrades will be rolled out across 10 A330-200 aircraft and will include 4K OLED screens for watching movies and new mood lighting.
The first refurbished 737 is expected to start flying from 2027.
