Qantas pauses Boeing, Airbus plane deliveries amid COVID-19 downturn

Qantas has pushed back aircraft deliveries from Airbus and Boeing worth hundreds of millions of dollars as it rethinks its network and fleet needs during a long recovery from the coronavirus pandemic. A Qantas spokesman confirmed on Monday it had told the aircraft manufacturers it would not receive any new jets while the health crisis and resulting uncertainty persist. The move defers three Boeing 787s which were due to enter Qantas' fleet by the end of 2020, and 18 Airbus A321neos which were to arrive in Jetstar livery between August this year and 2022. Qantas did not have a revised timeline for when the new jets will arrive, the spokesman said. Boeing is laying off 10 per cent of its global workforce, including around 230 workers at its factory in Melbourne.<br/>