Qantas is calling on Aussies to name its new aircraft after the airline announced construction is underway for its first Airbus A220.
The A220s will gradually replace QantasLink’s Boeing 717 fleet which operate routes across Australia.
It will have double the range of the 717, with the first aircraft to operate flights between Melbourne and Canberra. Subsequent aircraft will be deployed to other parts of the regional and domestic network.
It is also expected to open up new domestic and short-haul international routes as more aircraft enter the fleet.
The aircraft’s major airframe components, including the centre and rear fuselage, are coming together at Airbus’s production facility in Mirabel, Canada. The first of 29 aircraft are expected to arrive in Australia before the end of the year.
And before their imminent arrival, the airline is hoping to lock in a name for the fleet.
If you’re thinking of names like ‘Bazza’ and ‘Shazza’, you will need to reconsider for two reasons.
Firstly, it needs to be based around the theme “native wildlife” and even if you wanted ‘Shazza’, it’s already taken by Bonza, an Aussie airline start-up.
You can nominate up to six names — a shortlist will then be released so the public can vote for their favourites before the final names are revealed.
“Our aircraft names have always celebrated what’s special about Australia, from its places, and pioneers to its natural wonders,” QantasLink CEO John Gissing said
“Continuing that tradition, we’re naming our A220 fleet after Australia’s unique and rare wildlife.
“Whether it’s a frilled-neck lizard or feathertail glider, an echidna or emu, we want Australians to help choose some names that showcase some of our country’s favourite native animals.”
Back in 2017, the airline ran a similar competition and 60,000 suggestions flooded in to name eight new 787-9 Dreamliners.
Again, it couldn’t be anything, Aussies had to follow criteria and choose a name based on people, places or things, that reflected the true spirit of Australia.
The names that made the cut were: Great Barrier Reef, Boomerang, Skippy, Waltzing Matilda, Uluru, Great Southern Land, Quokka and Dreamtime.
At the time, outgoing CEO Alan Joyce joked that while there were a few suggestions “that are best left unmentioned”. He said he hoped Aussies would get a sense of pride or have a little chuckle when they saw Quokka on the gate at London Heathrow Airport waiting to take them home.
The new names were emblazoned beneath the cockpit window on each Dreamliner.