Qantas celebrates 95 years retro-style

Qantas has unveiled a newly reconfigured Boeing 737-800 decked out in vintage 1960s livery as part of its 95th birthday celebrations.

The Retro Roo II (VH-VXQ) has the same livery that featured on Qantas’ Boeing 707 jets between 1959 and 1961.

Welcoming the freshly-painted jet into a hangar with more than 300 employees, Qantas Group chief executive Alan Joyce welcomed the freshly-painted jet to the Qantas hangar, describing its vintage livery as a “flying tribute” to the airline’s history of innovation.

“None of the past 95 years would have been possible without all those who have worked for Qantas with such commitment and passion. Tens of thousands of people have dedicated their whole careers to the national carrier and many who work here today are the third or fourth generation in their family to do so,” he said.

“As we celebrate our 95th birthday today, I hope this livery inspires a sense of pride in what our national airline has achieved during all those years of taking Australians around the world and bringing them safely home again.”

Qantas was the first carrier outside the US to operate the B707 which represented a step-change in aviation at the time. In 1959, Qantas used it to become the first airline to operate regular passenger jet services across the Pacific Ocean, connecting Sydney and San Francisco.

Qantas was also the first airline to offer a round-the-world jet service with the B707 bringing flying time down to 70 hours from the 127 hours with the Super Constellation aircraft that it replaced.

Today a Qantas flight from Sydney to London stops just once, in Dubai, and takes 21 flying hours.

“A large part of the national pride people feel towards the flying kangaroo comes from the fact it has been responsible for so many innovations in global aviation,” Joyce continued.

“We were the first airline to introduce business class, we have operated record breaking endurance flights throughout our history and we’ve helped pioneer many breakthroughs in aviation technology.

“Innovation is still at the core of Qantas and we’re now looking to a new generation of aircraft with the arrival of Qantas’ first B787 Dreamliners in 2017. Like the 707 in 1959, these aircraft are at the cutting edge of aviation and we’re really excited about the opportunities they’ll open up for our customers.”

Other events to celebrate the birthday have included an Australia-wide Instameet and Qantas’ charity flight to Longreach, which raised over $110,000 for drought relief. A gala dinner for more than 1,000 people in the airline’s A380 hangar in Mascot on Friday rounds out the activities.

Retro Roo II is the second Qantas 737 aircraft in vintage livery. Retro Roo I was launched last November, featuring the livery of 1971-1984, and regularly appears on social media as passengers photograph it at airports across the country.

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