Qantas Completes A380 Fleet Restoration After Six Years in Storage
Qantas has marked a significant milestone in its pandemic recovery by welcoming its tenth and final Airbus A380 back to Sydney on December 2, 2025, concluding nearly six years of storage and completing what the airline describes as the largest maintenance project in its 105-year history.
The aircraft, named after Qantas founder Paul McGinness, will initially serve as an operational spare during the Christmas travel period before entering regular service on January 1, 2026. The superjumbo will operate daily A380 flights between Sydney and Dallas, a route that will now feature full-time A380 operations enabling connections to more than 230 US destinations through the airline’s partnership with American Airlines.
The restoration effort represents an extraordinary engineering achievement. Qantas maintenance and engineering teams from multiple global locations completed more than 100,000 hours of work to prepare the aircraft for commercial service. This comprehensive restoration included extensive engineering checks, heavy maintenance procedures, complete landing gear replacement, and a full cabin renovation. Parts arrived via land, sea, and air transport, with the aircraft undergoing thorough assessment flights before receiving clearance to resume operations.
“Bringing an A380 back into service after nearly six years in storage is no small feat,” said Cam Wallace, Qantas International CEO. “Teams of engineers around the globe came together to complete more than 100,000 hours of work. When this aircraft lands today it will have been nearly 2,000 days since it last touched Australian soil, and we’re proud to return it to the skies.”
The restoration program reflects Qantas’s strategic commitment to premium long-haul capacity. Each A380 in the fleet underwent similar extensive engineering assessments and cabin refurbishments before returning to service. Last year, Qantas’s A380 fleet carried over one million passengers on international routes, demonstrating strong customer preference for the aircraft type.
Each restored A380 features enhanced cabin configurations with 14 First Class seats, 70 Business Class seats, 60 Premium Economy seats, and 341 Economy seats. The refurbished fleet includes upgraded First Class sections, renovated upper deck lounges, and additional premium seating throughout. Qantas has also introduced premium enhancements including upgraded dining, exclusive Aesop amenity kits, Bollinger champagne, and redesigned sleepwear for First Class passengers.
The completion of the A380 restoration program enables Qantas to expand capacity on popular long-haul routes to Dallas, Singapore, and Johannesburg. The full A380 fleet now returns to active service for the first time since early 2020, representing a decisive conclusion to the airline’s pandemic recovery strategy and reinforcing Qantas’s position in premium international aviation.
Source ID: SRCE-2025-1764946846280-1192