Flying smarter: A330s take the direct route

The Qantas A330 fleet has achieved a sustainability milestone recently, with our pilots now able to fly more direct, curved approaches into Cairns instead of the traditional route out to the sea and back.

Satellite-guided technology allows our aircraft to take a precise path straight to the runway, cutting flight time, reducing fuel burn and lowering emissions on approach. It's a change that might only save a few minutes per flights, but across hundreds of flights each year, those minutes add up to meaningful environmental and operational benefits.

Our A330s are now joining our 737s (pioneers in this tech for 20+ years) and 787s in flying the most efficient routes possible.

Last updated: 6 August 2025

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Let's get technical

The technology, called Required Navigation Performance – Authorisation Required (RNP AR), is a type of navigation procedure that enables precise curved flight paths using satellite navigation, which when compared to traditional ground-based approaches, offers:

Tighter lateral and vertical navigation accuracy
More direct routing and continuous descent, reduced track miles, fuel burn and emissions
Consistent, repeatable flights paths improving operational predictability and situational awareness for pilots and ATC.
Less reliance on ground infrastructure.

Looking to the future

This represents a significant step forward for our A330 operations. The A330 is the first mainline Airbus aircraft type in the Qantas fleet to achieve RNP AR capability. Our incoming A321XLRs and A350s will be delivered with this technology already, embedding technology that helps reduce fuel burn and lower emissions into our future fleet from day one.

While we're in the A330 implementation phase now, this navigation procedure will become the default approach type at participating airports within the next 6-12 months.