Overview
- Qantas has announced it will accelerate retirement of its 10 Airbus A380s, starting a gradual phase-out in 2028.
- The carrier cited growing maintenance and parts supply risks for the out-of-production A380 as a main reason and said it has confidence in scheduled deliveries of new widebody jets.
- Qantas plans to replace most A380 capacity with Airbus A350-1000s and some Boeing 787s from its existing order book.
- The first A350-1000s will be configured with about 238 seats versus the A380’s 485 seats, a cut of more than half that shifts the airline toward premium seating.
- Qantas projects the swap will raise unit revenue by roughly 10% and contribution margin per departure by about 12%, which implies higher ticket prices and fewer economy seats on long-haul routes.