Qantas has announced its plans to bring forward the retirement of its Airbus A380 fleet. This was initially slated to commence in 2032, but, now, the withdrawals will begin as early as 2028, as the Australian flag carrier and oneworldfounding member moves towards a new era of long-haul flying. According to ch-aviation, the airline currently has ten A380s at its disposal, with an average age of 17 years old
As it stands, Qantas presently flies the Airbus A380 on just five routes (although one of these serves two destinations as part of a one-stop offering). However, one of these is soon to be axed, which will mark the end of the Australian flag carrier’s superjumbo operations out of Melbourne (MEL) in Victoria. In this article, we will take a closer look at Qantas’ remaining A380 routes and the onboard experience.
One Stop To London
Qantas’ most high-profile Airbus A380 route is arguably its one-stop corridor from Sydney Kingsford Smith Airport (SIN) in New South Wales to London Heathrow Airport (LHR) in the UK via Changi Airport (SIN) in Singapore. According to data made available by Cirium, an aviation analytics company, Qantas flies the A380 nine times a week to Singapore, with seven (one a day) continuing to London.
The westbound service from Sydney to London via Singapore bears the prestigious flight number QF1, with the first leg taking 8.5 hours. After two hours on the ground, the second leg then takes another 14 hours and 15 minutes. QF2, meanwhile, takes 13 hours and 40 minutes to fly from London to Singapore, and seven hours and 40 minutes onwards to Sydney. Qantas Group CEO Vanessa Hudson said:
The Best Of The Rest
Three of Qantas’ four other Airbus A380routes also originate in Sydney. As detailed below, the only other westbound corridor for the type links Kingsford Smith Airport with Johannesburg (JNB) in South Africa. This route is not blessed with the same frequency as the flights to London via Singapore, as it only operates three or four times a week with the A380. These flights can take almost 15 hours in total.
Qantas’ remaining two Airbus A380 routes out of Sydney Kingsford Smith Airport both serve cities in the United States of America. Their destinations are both key American Airlines hubs, allowing for integrated onward connectivity thanks to the two carriers’ oneworld alliance membership. Qantas flies the A380 daily to Los Angeles International (LAX) and four or five times a week to Dallas/Fort Worth (DFW).
At present, Qantas’ only A380 route that does not originate at Sydney Kingsford Smith Airport is its transpacific corridor from Melbourne to Los Angeles. However, the end is nigh for this corridor, which currently sees just two cuperjumbo services a week. Indeed, as detailed in our coverage below, Qantas will cease A380 operations on this route in late October, opting instead for the lower-capacity Boeing 787-9.
What’s It Like On Board?
According to aeroLOPA, Qantas’ AirbusA380s are its only aircraft that are currently equipped with a first class cabin. This will soon change with the arrival of its ‘Project Sunrise’ A350-1000ULRs, but, for now, the only place to find first class on a Qantas jet is the front of the lower deck of its A380s. Here, 14 first class suites are laid out in an exclusive three-abreast (1-1-1) configuration in the jet’s nose.
Meanwhile, the remainder of the lower deck on Qantas’ A380s is occupied by 341 economy class seats in the classic 10-abreast (3-4-3) layout. Upstairs, the front and middle sections of the top deck house the jet’s 70 business flatbeds, which are laid out four-abreast in a 1-2-1 setup that offers direct aisle access at every seat. Behind these, the rear section features 60 seven-abreast premium economy recliners.
