On Christmas Eve in 2003, Qantas made the world’s first longest flight by an Airbus A330-200 from Toulouse, France, to Melbourne, Australia. It was the delivery flight for the Australian flag carrier’s second of its fleet of new A330-200s, registered VH-EBB.

A Christmas delivery

VH-EBB – christened Albany by Qantas – rolled off the Airbus production line in Toulouse and traveled 20 hours and four minutes to Melbourne, reaching speeds of up to 537 miles per hour (865 km/h) and flying 10,507 miles (16,910km). This set the record for the fastest speed between Toulouse and Melbourne. The flight arrived on December 25 with four Qantas pilots at the controls, carrying 12 passengers.

On January 10, 2003, the aircraft made its entry into Qantas’ domestic service. Three years later, VH-EBB was operated by Jetstar Airways, a low-cost subsidiary of Qantas. Then, in May 2014, it was returned to Qantas before retiring after nearly twenty years in service.

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The land down under

Australia – being a large continent that is relatively far from many countries – requires aircraft that can provide a long range (interesting nugget: Australia is responsible for 11% (20 million square nautical miles/51.7 million square kilometers) of the world’s total airspace). At the turn of the century, when the aviation industry was increasingly pursuing non-stop flights, newer and more capable aircraft were sought.

Qantas selected the A330 for its domestic and regional routes as part of its fleet modernization plans because it offered the best economy on short sectors while also having the range to operate longer direct flights to Asia.

The airline currently uses A330s on key domestic routes, as well as on international flights between Australia and Asia, Hawaii, and New Zealand. Other Airbus aircraft in its fleet include the A320 and A380, which not many airlines operate today.

The addition of more Airbus types is in the pipeline, such as the A220 and A321XLR, which Qantas will use for its domestic routes. The flag carrier is also set to introduce the A350 on ultra-long-haul flights from Sydney to London and New York in late 2025.

The A330 is a valuable force across Asia-Pacific. Despite often being overshadowed by the likes of the A350 across the globe, the twinjet has notably shown its worth across the region. Qantas is joined by the likes of China Southern, Cathay Pacific, China Eastern, Air China, Hainan Airlines, and Korean Air as operators of the type in the area.

Today, Qantas holds a total of 17 Airbus A330-200s and 10 A330-300s in its holdings. They have an average age of 15 and 19 years, respectively, and offer a combined capacity of 7,146 seats. Even though Qantas has ordered A350s to replace its aging A330s, the latter remains an important member of the fleet for now, recently being deployed to the likes of Bengaluru and Bali.

Discover more aviation news for Australia and Oceania here.

Sustainability and the future

At the time of its delivery, VH-EBB was not the only aircraft to have flown such great distances to Australia. 11 years prior, Airbus pilots flew an A340-300 from Toulouse to Perth.

In the years that followed VH-EBB’s historic flight, Airbus went on to achieve other milestones with its A330-200. In 2014, KLM flew the longest commercial flight on an A330-200 powered by sustainable jet fuels: a 20% blend of Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) made from used cooking oil. The 10-hour flight took off from Amsterdam Schiphol Airport, bound for the Dutch Caribbean island of Aruba.

Today, ultra-long-haul flights have become common – like Singapore Airlines’ 10,729 mile (17,250km) route between Singapore Changi Airport and John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York. With the growing developments in air travel and aviation technology, we can only expect such routes to become increasingly available in the near future.

What are your thoughts about Qantas' non-stop, long-haul Airbus A330 delivery flight? What do you make of this trip between Toulouse and Melbourne? Let us know what you think of the airline's relationship with the aircraft in the comment section.

Source: ch-aviation.com

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  Qantas

  IATA/ICAO Code:

  QF/QFA

  Airline Type:

  Full Service Carrier

  Hub(s):

  Brisbane Airport, Melbourne Airport, Sydney Kingsford Smith Airport

  Year Founded:

  1920

  Alliance:

  oneworld

  CEO:

  Alan Joyce

  Country:

  Australia

• 

  Airbus

  Stock Code:

  AIR

  Date Founded:

  1970-12-18

  CEO:

  Guillaume Faury

  Headquarters Location:

  Toulouse, France

  Key Product Lines:

  Airbus A220, Airbus A320, Airbus A330, Airbus A340, Airbus A350, Airbus A380

  Business Type:

  Planemaker