Qantas’ newest Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner has been rolled out of the paint shop in a special livery to celebrate the airline’s centenary.
While a little ahead of time (the airline is 99 years old next month), the aircraft, VH-ZNJ, will grace the fleet on the airline’s long-haul international routes (see where the 787 flies here) over its 100th year.
The aircraft is named “Longreach”, after the Queensland town where Qantas was born in 1920. This is also poignant at a time when the airline is retiring its iconic Boeing 747-400 fleet, which were also named Longreach.
This is the tenth Dreamliner for Qantas and will be delivered next month. It will have the honour of flying the second Project Sunrise test flight, non-stop between Sydney and London (see our news story about this here) before entering regular service with the airline.
Qantas CEO Alan Joyce said the aircraft livery is a reminder of the airline’s past on its newest piece of technology.
“The story of Qantas is the story of modern Australia, and the logos on this livery tell that story from the beginning,” Mr Joyce said.
“Our Centenary celebrations are all about honouring our past with an eye on the future, so it’s very fitting that this special livery will be worn by our newest state-of-the-art Dreamliner.”
Over the past century, Queensland and Northern Territory Aerial Services has evolved from delivering the mail in the outback to serving as the national carrier – from two passengers at a time to 50 million a year.
