Farewell to the Qantas 767-336.
SYDNEYSIDERS were given a spectacular chance to farewell the last Qantas Boeing 767 as it cruised low over the CBD on its final flight.
The historic flight from Melbourne to Sydney was given the special number QF767 to say goodbye to the plane model which had carried more than 168 million passengers in over 927,000 flights since 1985.
Just after 6pm the 767 with its 250 seats full broke through the clouds and flew over the city before touching down at Sydney airport about 6.30pm.
Qantas pilot Captain Mike Galvin checks over the last Boeing 767 before leaving Melbourne Airport. Picture: Eugene Hyland Source: News Corp Australia
The Boeing 767 up in the air for the last time. Picture: Eugene Hyland Source: News Corp Australia
Captain Mike Galvin said the aircraft had been a faithful workhorse over the past three decades.
“The 767 has been a staple in the Qantas fleet for more than two decades and was a favourite with both crew and customers,” he said.
“It’s been an extremely reliable aircraft and has served Qantas and our customers very well over the years.
“While it’s sad to say goodbye, it’s definitely time to retire the 767s as we have been bringing in newer aircraft that are more advanced and fuel efficient.”
Getting rid of the 767s, which collectively flew over 1.8 billion kilometres (or the equivalent of 2,438 return trips to the moon), will also help streamline the Qantas fleet from 11 aircraft types to seven.
The widebody aircraft was most recently used for trips between Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane and Perth.
Those routes have been taken over by newer and larger Airbus A330s, which following upgrades will be able to carry around 300 passengers.
In the past five years Qantas has retired more than 80 of its planes and bought 140 new aircraft bringing the average age of its fleet to 7.7 years — the lowest it has been since the early 1990s.
A Qantas spokesman said the average age of its fleet was now “significantly younger” than the averages in North America, Europe and Asia Pacific.
source: dailytelegraph.com
STUDIO 3 NEWCASTLE AUSTRALIA 