Sydney, Oct 25: Qantas has revealed a significant cabin refurbishment for its Airbus A330 fleet, focusing on enhanced customer comfort and next-generation features for international routes.
The upgrade program will cover 10 A330-200 aircraft operating flights to Hong Kong, Singapore, and Tokyo, with the first refurbished plane expected to enter service by late 2025.
As part of the multimillion-dollar investment, new Economy seats designed for comfort on ultra-long-haul routes will be introduced.
The seats, which will also feature on the future A350-1000ULR aircraft as part of the Project Sunrise initiative, provide a glimpse into the airline’s evolving inflight experience.
The new Economy seats will come equipped with 13.3-inch 4K OLED touchscreens, a 20 per cent increase in size from current displays.
Other features include Bluetooth audio connectivity and USB-C fast charging ports, allowing passengers to use their own headphones and keep devices charged throughout the flight.
Further upgrades to the A330 cabin include new mood lighting and replacement of curtains and carpets.
While the Business Suites with fully-flat beds will remain unchanged, they continue to receive positive feedback from passengers, offering the same comfort as those on the A380 and 787 Dreamliner fleets.
Qantas International CEO Cam Wallace said the upgrade aligns with the airline’s broader fleet renewal program, aimed at transforming the inflight experience.
“We’ve used our fleet renewal program to completely rethink the inflight experience and these cabin upgrades mean we can bring next-generation features and designs to our existing aircraft,” said Wallace.
The A330 refurbishment is scheduled for completion by the end of 2026 at Qantas’ Brisbane maintenance facility.
The aircraft will eventually leave the fleet toward the end of Qantas’ fleet replacement program, which involves the delivery of 12 new Airbus A350s and 12 Boeing 787s, starting from FY27.
In addition to the cabin upgrades, Qantas is rolling out international Wi-Fi across the A330 fleet. From December 2024, passengers on certain routes in Asia will have access to fast and free Wi-Fi, similar to the airline’s domestic offering, which has seen an uptake rate of up to 100 per cent on some routes. Activated aircraft will also allow Wi-Fi connectivity over Australian airspace, enabling seamless internet access on routes to Hong Kong, Delhi, and Bengaluru.
These enhancements signal Qantas’ commitment to elevating passenger experience ahead of its next-generation fleet, with the A330 upgrade offering an early preview of the Project Sunrise flights.
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