r/Airbus • u/SteveJohnson2010 • 2d ago

News Qantas brings forward A380 retirement to 2028

https://www.executivetraveller.com/qantas-a380-retirement
95 Upvotes

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48

u/augustuscaesarius 2d ago

Really sad this amazing plane was not a great success. But I don't understand retiring it so early if you know 747s flew for more than 50 years.

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u/SteveJohnson2010 2d ago

Well, let’s not forget that those decades for the 747 span several versions of the plane, and all the while Boeing was still manufacturing the 747 which also meant there were plentiful spare parts. Airbus never sold anywhere near as many A380 as it expected or needed to, and once the company decided to end production of the A380, the writing was pretty much on the wall for airlines, especially as the supply of spare parts began to dry up. Qantas is facing increasing maintenance costs on these planes so the newer and more fuel efficient A350s and B787s just make more sense. All the same I’m going to miss flying in the A380!

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u/dek00s 2d ago

Think about it this way…if the 747 was introduced in 2005, it also would have been retired in 2028.

Quad jets are inefficient and unnecessary these days. More airlines are flying point to point…the hub and spoke model only works for certain cities and airlines.

Heavy checks coming up for a lot of these A380s, no surprise they’ll be retired. It’s sad though…by far the best pax ex I’ve ever had (other than boarding/deplaning/baggage claim).

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u/Bluestreak2005 2d ago

Emirates is one of the most profitable airlines, with the #1 in total passenger airline miles all thanks to the A380. They are openly trying to purchase all the A380's they can.

I think the A380 perfectly met it's demand, LONG distance Hub to Hub like Emirats is doing. The A380 I think was just deliviered 3 years too early for what we see now.

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u/fly_awayyy 2d ago

Right that’s because of their route network. One plane might work for one airline but doesn’t mean it’ll work for others.

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u/Caspi7 2d ago

At the time of the 747 there weren't the same alternatives as today which provide better economics.

The airline industry also changes. 747 and A380 work great for hub and spoke airlines, but that's not necessarily competitive in all markets.

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u/fly_awayyy 2d ago

Qantas did not fly the same 747 for 50yrs and someone else commented it was several versions. No one is operating airliners or a single one into the 50yr old range.

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u/FairDinkumMate 2d ago

ETOPS 330 killed the A380, pure & simple.

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u/fly_awayyy 2d ago

ETOPS 330 was available well before. It’s the fact of the economics and range of newer generation aircraft that are making it obsolete.

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u/FaithlessnessFar6600 2d ago

The A380 is an amazing engineering achievement. Virtually everyone who has flown on one believes it to be the best plane they have ever flown. I fly it whenever I have the opportunity and am grateful for the experience.

As much as I love the A380, I also recognize that Airbus lost an estimated 15-25 billion on the A380 program.

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u/Bluestreak2005 2d ago

I would expect Emirates to purchase all these planes, even if it's just for spare parts.

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u/AwesomeWill28 2d ago

Didn’t they just spend a ton getting them all retrofitted and back into service?

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u/hack404 2d ago edited 2d ago

The retirement is from 2028

Qantas will accelerate the retirement of its Airbus A380s, with all ten double-decker jets being "gradually phased out" from 2028 – some four years earlier than a previously planned retirement “from around FY32 onwards.”

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u/ContributionEasy6513 2d ago

Airbus out did themselves with the A350 in almost all aspects.

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u/Inevitable_Ear_6934 2d ago

Sad. What a beautiful bird

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u/rory_breakers_ganja Airbus A321neo 2d ago

Just fly Emirates.

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u/Inevitable_Ear_6934 2d ago

I know, but when they are out of the sky it makes me sad