Qantas has brought the tenth and final Airbus A380 in its fleet back to Sydney after nearly six years in storage. It was emphasized that the aircraft, stored during the COVID-19 pandemic, symbolizes the completion of the largest maintenance project in the airline’s 105-year history. The aircraft will serve as an operational spare during the busy holiday season and will begin regular flights on the Sydney–Dallas route as of January 1, 2026.
Over 100,000 hours of extensive maintenance work were carried out by engineering teams to return the aircraft to service. This process included detailed inspections, heavy maintenance tasks, landing gear renewal, a complete cabin refurbishment, and test flights. Qantas International CEO Cam Wallace highlighted that flying an A380 again after nearly six years in storage is a major operation, noting that teams worked in a coordinated manner globally.
Qantas has gradually returned all A380s in its fleet to operations in recent years. The A380 fleet, which carried more than one million passengers last year, will offer more options on long-haul routes thanks to its updated cabin layout and increased capacity.
