Qantas' Jetstar orders 20 Airbus A320s with options on a further 40

Qantas Airways' new low-cost carrier, Jetstar, has signed a contract with Airbus for 20 A320s and taken options on a further 40. Together with three leased A320s, Jetstar will operate an all-Airbus fleet of 23 Aircraft by mid 2005.

Melbourne-based Jetstar will use its A320s on services within Australia commencing July 2004, with the first of the leased aircraft. Deliveries of the purchased A320s will begin in October 2004.

Jetstar's Airbus A320s will each seat 177 passengers in a high comfort all-economy layout. The aircraft will be powered by International Aero Engines V2500 engines.

"As you might expect, economics played a big role in our choice of the Airbus A320 Family for Jetstar," says Qantas Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer Geoff Dixon, "but we also liked the competitive edge that its modern design and more comfortable cabin will give us in the low-cost arena."

"Competition does not stop just because you have entered the low-cost sector by offering attractive prices," says Jetstar Chief Executive Officer Alan Joyce, "and the Airbus A320, with its 1 to 1½ inch wider seats and more spacious cabin lends itself better to providing value that our customers will appreciate as well as fast turnarounds, will help us achieve our goals."

''Qantas enjoys a reputation as a commercially competitive carrier, as well as for technical excellence, so its choice of the Airbus A320 for low-cost operations is a further mark of confidence in our growing presence in this field.' says President and Chief Executive Officer Noël Forgeard.