Qantas is on a fleet expansion spree: Australia’s Qantas Airlines has placed an order for an additional 20 Airbus A321XLR jets, bringing the carrier’s total order for the model to 48 aircraft, according to a statement released last week. The next-generation A321XLR — with a long-haul range of up to 8.7k km, some 3k km longer than the Boeing 737 it will be replacing –– will enable Qantas to expand its direct flights network to cover Southeast Asia and the Pacific Islands. Deliveries are scheduled to begin in 2028.

Qantas is pouring bns… but not without scrutiny: Qantas’ hefty fleet renewal bill — standing at about USD 13 bn as of last June — has cast a spotlight on the Australian flagship carrier, with financial outfit Morningstar’s equity analyst Angus Hewitt sustaining a bearish outlook for the firm back in June. Fleet replacement costs could be a “massive capex bill,” exceeding the company’s current market value and more than double its forecasted net earnings over the same period, Hewitt said at the time.

The pipeline: The airline ordered nearly 200 new aircraft from manufacturers Boeing and Airbus to accommodate demand for direct flights from Sydney to New York and London.

Airbus UK union defers strike, mulls new pay bump: Airbus UK workers have delayed a strike that was due tomorrow after management offered a new pay and pension scheme, according to a statement released last week. Union members will vote on the offer between 12-19 September, and, should the proposal be turned down, resume striking on 23-24 September, the union — Unite — warns.

What’s at stake? Unite represents upwards of 3k fitters and engineers whose strike will affect Airbus’ factories in Broughton and Filton. This is expected to impact wing production for Airbus’ commercial and military aircraft, hindering the planemaker’s ability to produce wings for its commercial A320, A330, and A350 jets. Management is still confident it will achieve its year-end delivery targets, despite Unite’s planned actions, it said earlier this month.

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