| Qantas Airways' regional airline subsidiary QantasLink plans to increase its Bombardier Q400 fleet to 21 aircraft with the delivery of the last of 12 ordered late in 2007. At that time, Qantas took purchase rights and options on an additional 24 Q400 aircraft. QantasLink currently operates nine Q400 turboprop airliners.
"Our initial investment in the Q400 in 2005 has resulted in new regional routes, an increase in capacity and reduced flight times on some routes by up to 20 per cent," said Narendra Kumar, Group General Manager, Regional Airlines at Qantas Airways. "These additional aircraft will be used to increase capacity and service frequency on key regional routes, as well as pursue new growth opportunities.
"The additional seats and services will provide a boost to Queensland's tourism and resource industries as well as strengthening links between regional communities and Brisbane," he said.
QantasLink Q400 aircraft currently fly to 13 destinations, from Canberra in the south to Cairns on the northeast coast. Average sector distance is 437.7 km (236 nm) with an average flight time of 59 minutes. That's nine minutes less than a flight in an older generation propeller aircraft. The longest leg is Brisbane-Canberra at 954 km (593 nm) and 108 minutes; the shortest is Gladstone-Rockhampton at 93 km (50 nm) and 26 minutes.
Like ANA and JAL in Japan, QantasLink 72-seat Q400 aircraft have replaced the parent airline's mainline jets on some sectors - in QantasLink's case, Brisbane/Mackay and Brisbane/Rockhampton. QantasLink Q400 aircraft supplement Qantas jet service on Sydney-Canberra and Brisbane/Canberra.
The Q400 faces competition with competing airlines' jet aircraft on Brisbane/Mackay, Brisbane/Rockhampton, Sydney/Canberra and Brisbane/Canberra.
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