MILDURA air passengers are set to benefit with QantasLink debuting the first of 14 recently purchased mid-life Q400s DeHavilland Dash 8 turboprops last week.
The Q400s are already used out of Mildura and their frequency will be boosted after the airline debuted the first of the 14 Canadian-made aircraft.
The purchase lifts the Q400 fleet nearly 50 per cent fleet to 45 planes, with the remaining 13 to be delivered to QantasLink during the next two years.
Q400 aircraft are more than 30 per cent faster than Q300s and Q200s and the younger fleet will also help improve operational reliability, QantasLink chief executive Rachel Yangoyan said.
“The arrival of the first Q400 is a really exciting milestone for regional Australia,” she said. “These Q400s will mean we can better serve our regional communities with faster journeys on larger aircraft as well as improving reliability by the consolidation to a single fleet type.
“We have already started upgrading our regional flights onto the Q400 aircraft and the feedback from those regional communities has been incredibly positive.”
The company aims to circulate the aircraft on its Broken Hill route as well, with Ms Yangoyan saying all regional routes will be served by the aircraft by “mid-next year”.
Qantas has been operating the Q400 aircraft since 2006.
To support with crew training, a new Q400 simulator has been purchased and will be installed in the Melbourne SIM training facility in mid-2025.
QantasLink plans to phase the 19 smaller Q200 and Q300 turboprop aircraft out of its fleet, consolidating three sub-fleets into a single fleet of turboprops.
“By consolidating our turboprops into a single fleet type, we’ll be able to further improve our reliability and provide a better recovery for our customers during disruptions as well as reducing complexity and cost for our operation,” Qantas Group chief executive Vanessa Hudson said at the announcement of the purchase in June.
