Qantas to buy used B737-800s to offset A321XLR delays

Qantas has just announced plans to buy four additional midlife B737-800s in response to ongoing delays in the delivery of its new A321-200NY(XLR)s. An internal memo by Qantas domestic chief executive, Markus Svensson, said that these aircraft will enter service by the end of 2025. In early July, Qantas took delivery of its first XLR, VH-OGA (MSN 12323). The second one is expected in August 2025.

Qantas Group ordered forty A321-200NY(XLR)s, 28 of which will serve Qantas and twelve are earmarked for its low-cost subsidiary Jetstar Airways. In February, Qantas Group confirmed the Airbus delays would reduce the number of expected new deliveries for the year, with at least one A321-200NY(XLR) and one A321-200NX(LR) moving to next year.

Data shows Qantas’s fleet comprises 130 aircraft - one A321XLR, sixteen A330-200s, twelve A330-300s (including two wet-leased), ten A380-800s, seventy-five B737-800s, two wet-leased (from ATLAS) B747-400FSCDs, and fourteen B787-9s.