UPDATE 1-Australia's Jetstar eyes major Airbus order
(Adds detail, Qantas, Virgin comments)
SYDNEY, July 24 (Reuters) - Qantas Airways Ltd's (QAN.AX) low-cost subsidiary, Jetstar, said on Tuesday it was looking at making a large order for Airbus (EAD.PA) A320 aircraft to meet its growth plans for Australia and Asia.
Jetstar Chief Executive Alan Joyce said the airline needed a "very large" order to meet growth plans from 2009 onwards, particularly in Asia where it has bought a stake in Vietnam's Pacific Airlines. "We have been talking to the Qantas board about the potential for a big fleet order to cover our long-term growth aspirations and we are working through that evaluation," Joyce told reporters on the sidelines of the Asia Pacific Aviation Summit. "We do need a significant order of A320s to cover our long-term growth aspirations."
Parent Qantas said in March it had ordered nine additional A320 aircraft for Jetstar, which is also scheduled to take delivery of 15 Boeing (BA.N) 787 planes in 2008.
Qantas earlier Tuesday unveiled a modernised version of its famous Flying Kangaroo logo and launched a new "premium economy" class on international long-haul flights.
The logo, released amid a fanfare of publicity, still features a white kangaroo on a red background but the shape of the image was tweaked to fit on the tails of Qantas' new super-jumbo A380 aircraft.
Richard Branson's rival carrier Virgin Atlantic [VA.UL] responded, accusing Qantas of "jet lag" because Virgin introduced premium economy in 1992.
Jetstar is expanding domestically and wants to grow in Asia. Earlier this year it bought a 30 percent stake in Vietnam's Pacific Airlines.
The deal is due to be completed on July 31 and Pacific will be rebranded with the Jetstar brand by mid-2008, Jetstar said.
Joyce said the low-cost carrier was still interested in taking stakes in more Asian airlines in the longer term but was currently focused on Pacific and its subsidiary Jetstar Asia. Jetstar is losing money on its Japanese routes as the Australian dollar rises against the yen, keeping some tourists away from Australia. Joyce said the airline expected to remain profitable.
Shares in parent Qantas, which is keen to revamp its image following a failed A$11 billion private equity takeover in May, closed 1.0 percent firmer at A$5.84.
(Additional reporting by Lara Wallace)
((Reporting by Michael Smith; michael.j.smith@reuters.com; Reuters Messaging: michael.j.smith@reuters.net; +61-2 9373 1821)) Keywords: QANTAS JETSTAR/
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