Qantas will retrofit its existing fleet of international aircraft in order to offer ‘fast and free’ wifi, the Australian carrier announced on Thursday (22 February).
The service will be progressively rolled out from the end of 2024 and will see the carrier’s A330, B787 and A380 fleets upgraded to connect to global broadband services provider Viasat’s satellite network.
The wifi provided as a result will have enough bandwidth “for every passenger to enjoy a fast and consistent connection” and the ability to stream movies, TV programmes and live sports, according to Qantas.
The carrier, in a statement, said its international wifi roll out had been deferred until global satellite technology was able to deliver a similar high-speed connection to that made available on its domestic routes.
Qantas Group CEO Vanessa Hudson said: “We know that staying connected is important to customers on international flights, and we’ve deliberately waited for the same high-speed connection we use domestically to be available on our overseas routes.
“The new wide-body aircraft we have on order in the next few years will come with high-speed wifi enabled but today we’re announcing we’ll be fitting it to our existing long-haul aircraft from late 2024, which coincides with a new satellite launching that will significantly expand coverage."
The airline’s eight A330-200LR aircraft will be the first to be fitted with onboard wifi capabilities, as part of scheduled maintenance due to begin in March 2024 and expected to be complete by the end of the year. Meanwhile, wifi installation for B787, A380 and A330-300 aircraft will commence in 2025.
New aircraft currently on order, including A350 and B787 fleets, will be wifi capable when delivered.
The carrier’s low-cost subsidiary Jetstar will introduce onboard wifi on its international wide-body fleet from 2026, as part of its Boeing 787 cabin refresh.
Positive group earnings support ongoing investments
Qantas on Thursday also announced its 1H2024 financial results along with a multi-million-dollar investment to overhaul its digital channels and streamline travel management on the ground. This includes a ‘major evolution’ of the carrier’s website and app, which will include features such as enhanced baggage tracking, flight tracking and improved status updates during disruptions.
Hudson added that the carrier’s planned investments are focused on improving customer experience and “restoring pride and confidence in the national carrier”.
For the first half of FY24 (which runs from 1 July 2023 to 31 December 2023) the carrier reported AU$1.25 billion in underlying profit before tax. Statutory profit after tax came in at AU$869 million.
Earnings were 13 per cent lower than the same period of FY23 as, according to the carrier, fares and capacity continued to normalise.
Lower fares contributed to reduced revenue per available seat kilometre, while total flying for the group increased by 25 per cent on an available seat kilometre basis and the group carried 3.3 million more passengers compared to 1H2023.
The carrier said travel demand “remains strong across all sectors” and, while leisure continues to drive demand, business travel for the carrier is now approaching pre-pandemic levels.