Qantas passengers flying in Economy class on the carrier’s Airbus A330-200s to Asia are set for a big win, with the Flying Kangaroo set to retrofit the cabin from mid-2025 with new seats and larger entertainment screens.

The new Economy seats will feature on routes to Hong Kong, Singapore and Tokyo and will be the same the carrier is rolling out for Qantas’ Project Sunrise ultra-long haul flights on the new A350 fleet.

The multimillion dollar investment in cabin upgrades will be rolled out across 10 A330-200 aircraft and also includes 4K OLED 13.3” entertainment touchscreens for Economy with the latest generation user interface (20 per cent larger than the existing screen), alongside USB-C fast charging and Bluetooth audio connectivity for Economy which allow users to use their own headphones.

Other key elements of the A330 cabin upgrade program include new mood lighting and the replacement of all curtains and carpets.

The existing Business Suites with fully-flat beds – as seen on Qantas’ A380, A330 and 787 Dreamliner fleet will remain on the aircraft.

Work on the first A330 is expected to start in mid-2025 in Qantas’ Brisbane maintenance facility with the first refurbished aircraft entering service by the end of the calendar year. The refurbishment program is expected to be completed by the end of 2026.

Qantas International CEO, Cam Wallace, said the multi-million dollar investment in existing A330s cabins would upgrade the experience for both passengers and crew as more new international aircraft progressively join the fleet over the coming years.

“We’ve used our fleet renewal program to completely rethink the inflight experience and these cabin upgrades mean we can bring next-generation features and designs to our existing aircraft,” he said.

“Customers can look forward to brand new Economy seats that have been specially created to maximise comfort and provide features that our customers want for international travel,” he said. “They’re the same seats that will feature on our ultra long haul A350-1000ULR aircraft, so it will be a preview of the Project Sunrise flying experience.”

Qantas recently announced the final piece of its jet fleet renewal program last year with a firm order for 24 aircraft to progressively replace its existing A330s – 12 Airbus A350s and 12 Boeing 787s arriving from FY27 into the next decade.

The longer range delivered by the 787 and A350 aircraft on order means they will be able to operate all the routes the A330s currently operate, as well as open up new ones.

The A330 aircraft being upgraded are scheduled to leave the Qantas fleet towards the end of the replacement program.