Qantas’ third Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner will be named after one of Australia’s cutest native animals, the quokka.
Unique to Australia and largely found on Rottnest Island off the coast of Perth, quokkas are described as the happiest animal on Earth and are even known to enjoy a selfie with tourists.
Quokka was among the most popular suggestions in a national poll of more than 60,000 entries to name the airline’s fleet of eight Dreamliners.
“Our pristine Rottnest Island, just a 30-minute ferry ride from Perth, is the only place on the planet where people can mingle with the beloved marsupial, and now the name fittingly sits on the side of a Qantas Dreamliner bringing tourists to our great State,” West Australian Tourism Minister Paul Papalia said.
Quokka, which has the official registration of VH-ZNC, will operate the new Perth to London route as well as other Dreamliner routes to the United States. It is currently undergoing final delivery in Seattle and is expected to land in Australia in late January.
Quokka will also be joined by a Dreamliner called Skippy later this year.
Qantas’ first two Dreamliner aircraft have been named Great Southern Land and Waltzing Matilda, with each name painted beneath cockpit window. The sequencing of the remaining names will be revealed as the aircraft are delivered.
For more information on Qantas’ history of naming aircraft visit the Qantas blog Roo Tales
