Qantas takes delivery of 4th A380

Qantas Chief Executive Officer, Mr Alan Joyce, said the addition of the aircraft to the fleet would see Qantas A380 services to Los Angeles and London increase from 7 September. "Our A380 services, which commenced in October 2008, have been incredibly popular with customers and the aircraft has generated extremely positive customer feedback," Mr Joyce said. "This fourth aircraft will allow us to increase Sydney-Singapore-London A380 services from three to five per week, and Sydney-Los Angeles services from three to four per week. "Our fifth and sixth A380s are also due for delivery by the end of the year, after which we will offer customers daily A380 services to London and Los Angeles from Sydney and increase Melbourne-Los Angeles services from two to three per week.

"Qantas will then operate 17 return A380 services per week between Australia and the UK and US." The new aircraft is named Fergus McMaster in honour of one of the airline's founders and its first Chairman. The first three Qantas A380s are named: Nancy-Bird Walton, after the first woman to fly a commercial aviation service in Australia; and Hudson Fysh and Paul McGinness, the two other founders of Qantas. Hudson Fysh was also Qantas' first Managing Director. Since October 2008, Qantas has carried more than 300,000 passengers on its 450-seat, four class A380 services. In addition to the fifth and sixth aircraft due by the end of 2009, a further three are scheduled for delivery in 2010.

Fergus McMaster: In 1919, Western Queensland grazier Fergus McMaster was helped by former Australian Flying Corps officer Paul McGinness when his car broke down as he tried to cross the sandy bed of the Cloncurry River. Impressed by this act of kindness, McMaster was receptive to an ambitious idea - to found an airline that would abolish the tyranny of Australia's great rural distances. With McGinness and Hudson Fysh, McMaster became a co-founder of Qantas and the first Chairman of the Company. He registered the name Queensland and Northern Territory Aerial Service on 16 November 1920 and helped find the investors and capital needed for the airline to succeed.