Qantas aircraft are now almost 15 years old on average – what happened? And does it matter?

Qantas says the average age of its planes is now 14.7 years. That’s substantially higher than most of its competitors flying similar routes. Photograph: Saeed Khan/AFP/Getty Images

Qantas has had its fair share of high-profile challenges in the last few years: industrial relations disputes, frequent delays and cancellations, a record $1.9bn financial loss and luggage that goes missing with alarming frequency.

But one challenge flying under the radar is its ageing fleet.