Qantas Group credits strong H1FY2026 results partly to new aircraft deliveries

Qantas Group reported (26-Feb-2026) the following fleet highlights for H1FY2026:

• Took delivery of 18 aircraft, including nine new aircraft, comprising:
  • Qantas Airways: Two A321XLRs;
  • Jetstar Airways: One A320neo and two A321LRs;
  • QantasLink: Four A220s.

Qantas Group CEO Vanessa Hudson partly attributed the Group's strong financial performance in H1FY2026 to the delivery of next generation aircraft, stating: "These new aircraft are not only improving the experience for our customers and opening up new opportunities for our people, they're also helping drive our financial performance". Ms Hudson said: "Around 60% of Jetstar's increase in profitability in the half was driven by its new aircraft, through a combination of growth, new network opportunities and the redeployment of existing aircraft onto other routes". She continued: "We've already started to see an acceleration in deliveries for Qantas, with six new aircraft arriving in the half and a further 30 arriving over the next 18 months", adding: "Some of these new aircraft will replace older aircraft, while some will support growth by opening up new routes, like the ultra long range A350s, which will operate Project Sunrise flights". Qantas Airways reported the following fleet plans for the near and medium term:

• Commence planned retirement of older Boeing 737s in late 2026, enabled by continued delivery of new aircraft, including A321XLRs;
• Deploy 787 on Melbourne-Los Angeles service, replacing A380 equipment, due to "reduced demand in economy for flights from Australia to the US";
• Deploy A380 equipment on Sydney-Singapore service;
• Refurbish 10 A330s, including new economy seats and entertainment screens;
• Resume deployment of first refurbished Jetstar 787 from Mar-2026. [more - original PR]