QantasLink’s first Embraer E190 has touched down in Perth at the end of a 20-hour delivery flight that started at Norwich in the east of England. The 100-seat jet is the first of up to 14 mid-life E190s that will replace the airline’s ageing Fokker F100 fleet, and it will not carry fare-paying passengers until January 2027.
For UK business travellers, the story is a preview of what regional flying in Western Australia will look like from next year. Anyone heading from the UK to the Pilbara, the Kimberley or the Goldfields on mining, energy or engineering business currently connects at Perth onto QantasLink’s F100s, which offer no in-flight connectivity and dated cabins. The E190 programme is designed to change that.
Ferry flight across three continents
The delivery routing was unusual even by the standards of long ferry flights. The aircraft left Norwich, then staged through Bulgaria, Tajikistan, India and Malaysia before crossing into Australian airspace at Broome and continuing south to Perth. The E190’s extended range compared with the F100 made the leg structure possible and is one of the reasons QantasLink chose the type for Western Australia, where distances between regional centres are large and diversion options limited.
The aircraft, registered VH-E9A, will be named Exmouth, following QantasLink’s long-standing practice of naming its Western Australian fleet after destinations in the state. It joins a network that has recently been expanding, with QantasLink introducing new flights to the Indian Ocean Territories in addition to its core resources routes, as reported in our QantasLink Indian Ocean Territories coverage.
What the QantasLink E190 cabin will offer
Before entering service the aircraft will go through a full cabin refresh. Confirmed features include Wi-Fi, new and more spacious seats, USB-A and USB-C charging at every seat and personal device holders. QantasLink will also introduce Qantas Economy Plus on the type, an extra-legroom product that bundles priority benefits and which will be familiar to travellers who have used it on the mainline domestic fleet.
That matters for a particular kind of UK trip. A consultant flying London to Perth via Singapore, Doha or Dubai and then onward to Karratha or Port Hedland is already looking at well over 24 hours of travel. Being able to work on the final sector, keep devices charged and pay a modest premium for legroom removes some of the pain from the last leg, which on the F100 has been the weakest part of the journey. Qantas has been steadily improving its business travel proposition, as our report on Qantas strengthening its business travel offer set out earlier this year.
The airline also says the E190’s engines are quieter than those on the F100, and it is promising improved reliability and fuel efficiency. QantasLink estimates around three million passenger journeys a year will benefit as the fleet transitions. Reliability is worth watching in particular, because Qantas was recently ranked the world’s most punctual major airline and the regional arm will be under pressure to match that record.
Training a Western Australian workforce
The arrival also brings a sizeable investment in people. Around 70 pilots, cabin crew and engineers are due to complete 18,000 hours of training this year to support the new type, and QantasLink says that figure could rise beyond 600 staff as the E190 programme grows. The Qantas newsroom announcement sets out the training plan alongside the cabin specification.
Trevor Worgan, Chief Operating Officer and Regional General Manager Network Aviation Australia, described the delivery as “the beginning of an exciting new chapter” for the airline, pointing to the quieter engines, longer range and the improvement in customer comfort the type will bring.
The E190 arrival follows QantasLink’s earlier commitment to a major Western Australia fleet renewal, and the pace of further deliveries will determine how quickly the F100s disappear from timetables. UK travel managers booking regional Western Australian sectors for 2027 and beyond should expect the E190 to appear first on the busiest resources routes, though QantasLink has not yet published a route-by-route rollout. Until then, F100s remain the aircraft to expect on most intra-state flights out of Perth.
