New 777 Coming, 787 Orders & Qantas New Flights

Welcome back to today's industry recap, a 787-10 order, Qantas in Europe and a new 777 sort of. Beginning with Qantas, who have confirmed plans to increase flying to Europe for 2026 as part of network connectivity improvements. For 2026, the Australian flight carrier plans to almost double its capacity on the Rome to Perth flight as demand continues to increase to serve Europe. The seasonal flying between these two markets will now be extended by a further 8 weeks, almost 2 months, that's from May 3 to October 23. The change will enable Qantas to capture the transition it says in Rome from late spring to early autumn. It'll also ensure that more opportunities for onward connectivity come after summer throughout Italy and Europe, and that is for a longer period of the year. Additionally, Qantas says it'll offer up to 4 flights per week during the peak season, up from the previously offered 3, and this move alone will add 40 extra services and 10,000 additional seats. The revised schedule will initially see 3 flights a week between May 3 and June 26. These operate on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Sundays. However, from June 27 through to September 26, that is when the fourth daily flight will be offered on Saturdays, and for the remainder of the flying schedule through to the mid to late point of October, the service reverts to 3 flights a week, with the additional Saturday service to be suspended. Rome service from Perth was first introduced to the Australian Carriers Network in 2022, marking the first non-stop flight between Australia and continental Europe by any airline. Since service commencement, more than 70,000 passengers have been flown, proving to be the fastest route to Rome and easier for Italians and Europeans to travel to Australia without a Middle East or Asia stopover. The airline's CEO for its international division, Cam Wallace, took the opportunity to further discuss the route frequency changes that will occur. He said that Rome, being one of the most iconic destinations in Europe, is certainly visible through its customer booking trends, with a lot of demand between the two cities. Over half of the customers on Rome flights originate on the east coast of Australia as well, and this follows a strategic move developed by the flag carrier to really grow Perth's connectivity to European destinations thanks to the capabilities with the Boeing 787. Long-haul flights are largely seen as game-changing for the state of Western Australia, with 2026 shaping up to be the biggest yet with more than 300,000 seats, connecting not just Rome but also the likes of London and Paris to Perth without a single stop. Over to the next story, and Air New Zealand, well they're increasing their commitment to the 787 as preparations ramp up for their future fleet. As part of a commitment to the program, Air New Zealand says it'll add two more of its high-capacity, yet also undelivered, 787-10s to its order backlog. The move, initially reported by Aviation Week following an internal memo, was then later confirmed by the carrier in its annual results presentation. For Air New Zealand, a decision to commit to more of the high-capacity variant also means a greater reliance on the larger model in the next decade as part of a strategy to move forward with the Dreamliner at the forefront. Away from simply a deal for additional 787s, Air New Zealand has also just commenced a major multi-million dollar overhaul to its cabin product aboard aircraft. As these Boeing 787s begin to show signs of age, scary to say, I know, advancements in cabin technologies have become more prominent and certainly arisen since they first took delivery, so the company is reacting by giving the jets the much-needed refresh they deserve for a comprehensive retrofit program aimed at enhancing customer satisfaction levels. Fourteen of the airline's Dreamliners will undergo a head-to-tail upgrade. The new additions to the airline's operation, including the upcoming 787-10s, however, will be configured with the new cabins. In terms of what will change, Air New Zealand says that with the cabin adjustments, it'll bring a fresh feel with larger in-flight entertainment screens and the vital addition of Bluetooth connectivity, making it possible for passengers to use their personal headphone devices. Fundamentally, from a seat standpoint, there will also be an overhaul to the business premier seats while improvements in economy and the sky pantry to elevate comfort levels right across the entire program. These 787s moving forward are to be key for the airline's day-to-day flying, especially towards North American markets such as Los Angeles and New York, where the airline's CEO says the new batch will be heavily featured thanks to strong levels of demand. Air New Zealand had even announced its intention to fully transition to an all-787 fleet moving forward for wide-body flying, thereby removing the 777. However, complications with supply chains and new aircraft deliveries alongside groundings have prevented this from going ahead as intended. Unfortunately, for all the positives that the 787s bring, it is the standout performance metrics that have airlines ranting and raving, but for Air New Zealand, it's been a bit of a basket case. If you're looking from first delivery to the middle of the 2010s, even now the mid-2020s, it's just been a plethora of issues that have just not spared the New Zealand flag carrier. And more often than not, we've seen periods where the 787 fleet has been grounded by an issue. Additionally, it's now scheduled deliveries have also been delayed. It's been a struggle to say the least, but Air New Zealand is hopeful that by 2028, there will be clearer skies ahead and it will fully get to embrace the 787 platform that it has at its disposal. Over to the final story and a new Boeing 777 variant is on the way with the world's first converted passenger-to-freight aircraft of this type receiving approval. Supplement type certification from the US Federal Aviation Administration and the CAA of Israel, which allows for the conversion of a 777 passenger jet to be able to carry 100 tons has occurred. The Israel Aerospace Industries, which is just also more commonly referred to as IAA, does very much have a global presence in converting commercial aircraft from passenger to freight for use right around the world. But what makes this hit headlines is they've been undergoing a process for quite some time now to achieve landmark conversion certification for what is known as the 777-300 ERSF, a conversion from a passenger plane into a dedicated freighter aircraft. Many believing that the long-standing wide body that is quite high on capacity and size is a fantastic platform moving forward for conversion and in terms of those converting it, they feel it's a breakthrough in aviation. They're holding the title as the world's first move ahead with a conversion on such a sheer scale. Aircap has already cemented itself as the launch customer whereas Kalitta will be the launch operator. They're eagerly awaiting the opportunity to take on this revised freighter as part of their own efforts to increase. But why the 777-300ER and why now? Well, as the 777X enters service in the coming years, it marks a changing of the guard but it also serves as a reminder that for some of the industry, Dash 200ER and Dash 300ER models have reached a point where in some instances, their age is showing and they're closer towards retirement than newly being delivered. With airlines seeking to phase in more efficient aircraft, just because some companies may be looking to offload the 777-300ER doesn't mean it can't serve a fundamentally different purpose elsewhere. As seen in our industry time and time again, this platform now offers something that can be converted into a dedicated freighter, extending its life in the skies considerably and serving a different market. The 777 conversion would not be the first to have seen and certainly will not be the last even with recent conversions of older Airbus A321 jets on a much smaller scale have occurred with Qantas Freight being one of the many recipients including Lufthansa Cargo. Therefore, if freight operators can sense an opportunity to take on a converted freighter at a fraction of the cost of a next-generation model and still get quite a fair bit of life out of it, they will, and that's exactly where there is so much potential. Let me know your thoughts down below in the comments. Thank you very much for your support here on the channel. It really does mean a lot. Take care, be safe, and I'll see you tomorrow.