QANTAS TO BUY FOUR 747-400'S FOR ONE BILLION DLRS
<Qantas Airways Ltd> has placed a firm
order with Boeing Co <BA> for four 747-400 aircraft at a cost
of 250 mln Australian dlrs each, chairman Jim Leslie said.
    The first is due for delivery in April 1989 with the others
arriving in May, June and September of that year, he said in a
statement.
    The 400 series is the latest model of the Boeing 747
family, he said.
    The purchase will take government-owned Qantas's 747 fleet
to 28, he said.
    Leslie said Qantas is talking to three engine makers who
are all offering engines for the Boeing 747-400 and it will
announce a decision on engine purchases later this year.
    He said they are United Technologies Corp <UTX> unit <Pratt^M
and Whitney>, General Electric Co <GE> and Britain's <Rolls-Royce^M
 Ltd>.
    He said the 747-400, which incorporates new technology such
as extended wings with six-feet high winglets and enhanced
electronics, should have its first flight next February. The
400 series has a designed range of 12,500 kms, 2,140 kms
further than the current Qantas 747-300's, he said.
    The aircraft will be financed by foreign borrowings and
foreign exchange earnings, and Qantas believes they will pay
for themselves in four to five years, Leslie said.
    The 747-400 has a take-off weight of 870,000 pounds, up
from 833,000 for the 300 series, and offers an eight pct fuel
saving, he said.
    The higher range and payload means they will first be used
on the route to Britain and Europe via Asia.
    They will also be used on non-stop flights between Sydney
and Los Angeles.
 REUTER
