Qantas returns final A380 superjumbo to service after six-year absence
Qantas has completed the largest maintenance project in its 105-year history as its final A380 superjumbo returns after nearly six years in storage.
Qantas’ A380 fleet is finally back in full operation, with the tenth superjumbo returning to Sydney on Friday after nearly six years in storage and heavy maintenance.
Named “Paul McGinness” after one of the airline’s founders, the A380 spent three years in the California desert due to the Covid pandemic, and then another 2.5 years at Abu Dhabi undergoing maintenance to ensure its safe return to flying.
The aircraft will serve as an operational spare during the Christmas period and from January 1 will boost international capacity by allowing daily A380 flying on Qantas’s Sydney-Dallas route.
As the largest passenger aircraft in the world, the A380 has unique engineering requirements, and maintenance and engineering teams from around the world have completed more than 100,000 hours of work along with a full cabin refresh to prepare VH-OQC to rejoin the international fleet.
It’s the largest maintenance check completed in Qantas’ 105-year history, representing a significant milestone for its engineering and fleet renewal programs.
Qantas International chief executive Cam Wallace said customers loved the A380 and in the last year, the superjumbo fleet carried over a million people.
“The return of our final A380 means we can offer even more seats on popular long-haul routes to destinations like Dallas, Singapore and Johannesburg,” said Mr Wallace.
“Bringing an A380 back into service after nearly six years in storage is no small feat. Teams of engineers around the globe came together to complete more than 100,000 hours of work to prepare the aircraft for flying again, from extensive checks to heavy maintenance, landing gear replacement, a full cabin refresh and assessment flying, with parts shipped by land, sea and sky”.
He said when the aircraft landed back in Sydney, it will have been nearly 2000 days since it last touched Australian soil.
“We’re proud to return it to the skies,” Mr Wallace said.
Qantas technical pilot Joel Cape said the amount of work completed on the A380 was incredible, to ensure the aircraft was in great condition.
“(It’s got) new Landing gear, a lot of components have been taken off and put back on, a lot of new components, so it’s in excellent condition,” he said.
Prior to the Covid pandemic, Qantas operated a fleet of 12 A380s but opted to part out two of them when the health crisis eased.
As well as requiring heavy maintenance, several of the A380s still needed to undergo a cabin refresh and reconfiguration.
Now all of the A380s in the Qantas fleet have 14 first, 70 business class, 60 premium economy and 341 economy seats over the upper and lower decks.
As the only aircraft in the Qantas fleet with first class, until new A350-1000s arrive, Qantas has announced new enhancements for its most valued customers including Aesop amenity kits, redesigned pyjamas and Bollinger champagne.
The A380s typically fly high-demand routes, such as Sydney-Singapore-London, Melbourne and Sydney to Los Angeles and Sydney-Dallas Fort Worth.
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Originally published as Qantas returns final A380 superjumbo to service after six-year absence
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