Air TransportQantas completes return of 10th A380 to Sydney after almost six years in storage
Qantas returned its tenth and final Airbus A380 to Sydney on December 5 after nearly six years in storage in the United States and United Arab Emirates.
The aircraft, named for a Qantas founder Paul Mcginness, underwent the most extensive maintenance check in the carrier’s 105-year history.
“Bringing an A380 back into service after nearly six years in storage is no small feat,” said Cam Wallace, Qantas International CEO.
More than 100,000 hours of work were required to prepare the aircraft for flight, including a full cabin refurbishment and reconfiguration across the fleet.
Each Qantas A380 is now configured with 14 First Class, 70 Business, 60 Premium Economy, and 341 Economy seats.
The aircraft will serve as an operational spare over the Christmas period before commencing daily Sydney-Dallas flights from January 1.
Wallace noted, “When this aircraft lands today, it will have been almost 2,000 days since it last touched Australian soil,” and added, “We know our customers love our A380s, and last year our superjumbo fleet carried over one million people on our international network.”
Qantas took delivery of its first A380s in 2008 and received all ten aircraft by December 2011. During the pandemic, these large double-decker jets ended up being stored in low-humidity locations while the airline studied their future.
High demand for long-haul flights and delays in the delivery of new widebodies ultimately made Airbus an economically viable alternative again.
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