Qantas to retire A380 from 2032, replace with A350
The red-tailed superjumbos will fly into the sunset in the early 2030s...
By David Flynn, August 24 2023
Qantas will phase out the mighty Airbus A380 from 2032, with the Airbus A350 taking its place on key long-range international routes to London and the USA.
The airline this morning confirmed the superjumbo sunset, saying it would “ultimately replace its 10 A380s with A350s from around FY32 onwards.”
In the interim, twelve A350-1000 jets will join the Qantas fleet from FY28 alongside a dozen Boeing 787s from FY27 in a unique split order “to progressively replace its existing A330s.”
Those A350s are separate to the twelve ultra-long range A350-1000s fitted with an extra fuel tank to undertake Qantas’ ambitious non-stop Project Sunrise flights to London and New York from the end of 2025 and supplement the A380-based network.
Executive Traveller understands these additional A350-1000s will be fitted with the same seats as the Sunrise jets, including those private business class suites and hopefully first class too, although without the Wellbeing Zone between premium economy and economy.
“Our A380s still have a lot of life left in them, especially given their recent cabin updates,” noted Qantas Group CEO Alan Joyce – upgrades which include the airline's latest business class and premium economy, along with a fresh take on the upper-deck lounge.
Qantas is upgrading its A380s with new business class seats and lounges.
“But as part of the pipeline we’re building, I can announce they will be replaced by the Airbus A350 from about FY32 onwards.”
On top of those dozen A350-1000s, Qantas says it has negotiated “options and purchase rights... which we can draw down on as needed for replacement and growth over the next decade and beyond.”
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
18 Nov 2013
Total posts 27
They will need to increase the frequency of the Intercontinental flights with the A350 to make up for the reduction in capacity of the A380. That could be a problem with slot constrained Heathrow.
Qantas
22 Oct 2012
Total posts 318
There are slot restraints at LHR, but QF has one or two up there sleeve there. Remember QF32? QF are still leasing the slots for that flight to BA.
01 Dec 2012
Total posts 68
Qantas has spare LHR slots that are currently leased to others. If needed they can be used again by Qantas, no doubt with adequate notice.
07 Oct 2012
Total posts 1250
As far as I know, Qantas owns 4 slots at Heathrow but only uses 2.
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
29 Mar 2015
Total posts 94
Agree, and with Emirates going through a similar process it's means codeshares into London will be equally problematic. Presumably Project Sunrise expansion to Paris, Rome, Frankfurt will help spread the load.
15 Mar 2018
Total posts 92
A key reason why Emirates fly A380 to LHR is their slots would need to be doubled, maybe tripled to accommodate smaller aircraft and LHR are actually cutting back on slots.
QF
02 Nov 2012
Total posts 48
Maybe more direct flights to other European destinations so reducing the nuimber of pax goling via LHR?
Or maybe flights in to LGW as well? Is that slot constrained?
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
13 Nov 2018
Total posts 118
LGW is a shirt fight. They’d have to cut the fare by ⅔ for me to even consider it again
QFF
12 Apr 2013
Total posts 1563
"All of the returning A380s have been upgraded with the airline's latest business class and premium economy seats" - this is not true. I flew an A380 just few weeks ago from SIN to SYD and specifically check out business cabin and it was equipped with old ugly 2-2-2 angle seats. Well, QF say that they are "lie-flat", but in reality they sag so much under feet that effectively became angle-flat. It was just like a blast from the past - lucky I was in First.
13 Feb 2015
Total posts 70
Yep. Just flew SYD-LAX and it was on a non-refurbished plane. Felt very old and tatty. Terrible experience for the prices they’re charging…
QFF
12 Apr 2013
Total posts 1563
Some government body should prohibit them to charge the same money for so different product and it should be clear upfront what you going to use. There must not be replacement or if it happens PAX should be notified and either offered re-booking or compensation. Just my peach dream.
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
30 Nov 2011
Total posts 26
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
13 Nov 2018
Total posts 118
It was suggested to me that this door thing is being held up by CASA
29 Feb 2016
Total posts 28
Thats 10 years down the track.. Big deal
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
26 Nov 2012
Total posts 127
Interesting. Based on that there’s less wide bodies. It’ll be curious to see what the 321’s do
Jetstar Airways - Qantas Frequent Flyer
20 Apr 2016
Total posts 21
Love the A380.
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
26 Oct 2017
Total posts 97
Reduced capacity per day is just that and a day will not increase from 24 hours. We've all seen what a shortage of semiconductors has done to car prices and airfares will follow. Those on a lower economic level will find air travel unaffordable whilst others will go back a cabin class. More people will want/need to travel by 2032 than ever and taking the best airplane out of service without an equivalent replacement is profit focus in an industry which no longer is a luxury but an essential service in the modern world.
QFF
17 May 2017
Total posts 12
Agree that smaller planes just don't make sense for the future as demand increases, but by 2032, won't the A380's be past (or near) their use by date anyway?
05 Jan 2021
Total posts 25
Hi,
Qantas seems to be working hard to improve the hard product in their services and fair enough - sitting in J in a 737 on a trans Australia flight to Perth is pretty underwhelming .
But are there not low hanging fruit they could tackle with more immediate effect ?
How about revising their business class menus both domestic and international ?
Getting a choice recently of a cheese toasty/ a sausage roll / some grains on green "leaves" on a three and a half QF Melbourne to Cairns flight in business Class left me thinking someone in Qantas Catering must be living in a different world if they think this is consistent with the image Qantas is trying to project!
02 Mar 2019
Total posts 6
Its great that Qantas has decided on replacements. However, there is no projection for proper capacity increases by the time A380's are retired. A positive is yes....more flight times to specific routes....the bad....projected high airfares and no growth. I literally do not see QF as a company that will grow and develop currently. I severely hope the new CEO will take an approach differently to AJ. I love the QF brand, but its hard to feel the love with the brand in its current state. So much potential...yet it ALWAYS misses the mark. I just want them to do better instead of thinking, "hey, reduce this because i get a better bonus". But hey...that's the world we live in. Greed. QF....they are no longer a national airline....people who think they are...are clearly blind to their actions and the world today. Just make an open market and let this dinosaur live or die at their own ability to adjust properly. I have no sympathy to this airline anymore. They made their bed....albeit a luxury one for the ones in charge.
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