Originally Posted by
Lapon
Doubt it's to replace the 717 as they are at most around 15 years old which is basically brand new by Qantas standards. The F100s maybe, but I doubt the ulitisation would justify a newly manufactured aircraft.
The issue could be manufacturer support. How long will manufacturers keep supporting 30-40 year old designs of out of production aircraft? Who else in the world flies 717s and F100s and for how much longer?