New A330 For Qantas (VH-EBJ)

[Oliver Gigacz]

Airbus A330-202 VH-EBJ for Qantas has been spotted in Toulouse and should make its way to Australia shortley.

http://www.pictaero.com/en/pictures/picture,12005

[Michael Morrison]

Is this still due to be delivered in a domestic config to replace a 743 on the PER runs?

[Rhys Xanthis]

Is this still due to be delivered in a domestic config to replace a 743 on the PER runs?

I believe so.

[D Chan]

Would have loved to see the A333 used instead on SYD-PER etc. and plug them onto another international sector to do a triangular route.

[Steve Jones]

will it have individual IFE?

[Gareth U]

will it have individual IFE?

I would hazard a guess and say not. The international 332s use the Rockwell Collins system, which still suffers from reliability issues. I cannot see Qantas investing the money and heartache into installing the system on domestic configured aircraft. Nor can I see Qantas investing the money in having the Panasonic system installed, when they didn't bother with the newly delivered international 332s. I believe it would have been prudent to get some experience with the Panasonic system prior to the A380 launch. (Although the 767RRs do use the same/similar Panasonic platform for their overheard IFE.)

Even the Rockwell Collins platform for the overhead IFE on the domestic 332s was unreliable! I guess they will stick with that.

I think we would have heard already if Qantas planned to introduce something new for the new domestic 332s. I am just hypothesising - willing to be proven wrong.