Brisbane is set to benefit from extra tourism and the creation of hundreds of new jobs, as Australia's flagship airline Qantas has announced several of its Dreamliner aircraft will be based in the Queensland city.
Four of the 787 and 789 Dreamliner models will be based in Brisbane by the end of 2018, with the first set to arrive in October this year directly from aerospace manufacturer Boeing.
Housing these aircraft in Brisbane will create 470 new jobs for local people and means there is the potential for new international routes to be opened up between the state and various overseas countries.
Around 120 of these new positions will be for pilots and cabin crew staff, while an additional 350 or so jobs will be created indirectly as a result.
Not only will the Dreamliners being based in Brisbane encourage extra tourism to the city as well as the wider Queensland state, but it could also lead to new collaborations being borne with foreign investors, which could see the area's economy receiving a significant boost.
The Qantas Dreamliner is capable of travelling non-stop from Australia to long-haul destinations including Chicago, San Francisco and Vancouver, while it could also open up new routes to locations throughout Asia.
The first Dreamliner is scheduled to arrive in Brisbane this October. Six weeks of staff training will then take place in preparation for its first flight from Melbourne to Los Angeles (non-stop) on December 15th 2017.
Alan Joyce, chief executive officer of the Qantas Group, commented: "Queensland is the birthplace of Qantas and it's fitting that we will base four of our Dreamliners in the state.
"The 787 offers a step change for customers in terms of comfort and efficiency and we are pleased Queenslanders will be able to experience them direct from Brisbane."
