Qantas to introduces larger aircraft on international, domestic flights

THE  Qantas Group plans to change the aircraft its uses for international services out of Perth.

Qantas executive general manager John Borghetti said: "We will introduce Airbus A330 services between Perth and Hong Kong from January 2008, replacing the current B767s operating on the route," he said.

The Australian carrier will also move to an all wide-body, twin-aisle aircraft on all of its services from Perth to Sydney and Melbourne within the next two years.

"This decision is a sign of our commitment to Western Australia, which is one of the biggest growth markets in Australia."

"We believe our all wide-body service on these key trans-continental business routes will ensure Qantas is offering the capacity, frequency, and comfort appropriate for the market," he said.

Mr Borghetti said Qantas was equally committed to intrastate markets.

"In the year ahead, we will continue to grow capacity within the state, operating larger aircraft and increasing frequencies," Mr Borghetti said.

Meanwhile, Qantas has appointed Citigroup Global Markets Australia and UBS to undertake the on-market buy-back of approximately 10 per cent of its shares.

The chief financial officer of Qantas, Peter Gregg, said the buy-back - which was announced on 16 August - was expected to commence in September after relevant approvals had been completed.

He said the duration of the buy-back would depend on market conditions and any governance issues that might arise during the buy-back.