Don't expect to see the Qantas A380 anytime soon
Quote:
Qantas Airways will defer the delivery of Airbus A380 and Boeing 737-800 aircraft, slash capacity, and cut jobs in response to worsening economic conditions, which have forced the Australian airline to cut its profit forecast drastically for the current fiscal year.
The Oneworld alliance carrier says that it will defer the delivery of four A380s by 10-12 months and 12 737-800s for an average of 14 months, and is in talks with Boeing to reduce the delivery of 787-8 aircraft over the near term. In addition, it will ground 10 aircraft and make them available for sale. It is also cutting flying capacity for domestic and international routes by 5% and reducing freight capacity on both as well.
Qantas chief executive Alan Joyce says that the carrier, and its low-cost subsidiary Jetstar, will manage wage costs by employing a slew of initiatives such annual leave, long service leave, attrition, redeployment, leave without pay, promoting part-time work and job-sharing. Redundancies, however, will be "unavoidable".
