Qantas says A350 was evaluated, but Boeing '787-9 is a better aircraft for us'

Qantas Group CEO Alan Joyce, at the CAPA Australia Pacific Aviation Summit, said (04-Aug-2015) the Boeing 787-9 "is a great replacement aircraft for some of the 747s over time." Mr Joyce noted the carrier evaluated the A350 but: "We found in our minds the 787-9 is a better aircraft for us in the markets and network we're talking about." Mr Joyce said the recent agreements with pilots to operate the 787-9 "was a major step in the right direction" but noted: "We're working through the fleet economics, the route economics to see if we can justify the 787s... We're working through that process now."