Qantas to retire A380 superjumbo, replace with A350

Qantas will phase out the mighty Airbus A380 at the start of the next decade, with the Airbus A350 taking its place on key long-range routes to London and the USA.

And having previously confirmed the superjumbo sunset, saying it would “ultimately replace its 10 A380s with A350s from around FY32 onwards”, the airline now looks set to place an order for those A350s.

News agency Reuters is reporting that Qantas is now weighing “a possible order for around 20 Airbus or ​Boeing wide-body jets.”

Qantas will begin retiring the A380 superjumbo in the early 2030s.

Although Qantas already has two dozen Airbus A350-1000s on order, none of those are slated to take over from the double-decker A380s which currently fly to Singapore, London, Dallas/Fort Worth and Johannesburg.

Instead, twelve of those are the ultra-long range (1000ULR) Project Sunrise models fitted with an extra fuel tank to undertake non-stop flights from Sydney and Melbourne to London and New York, with deliveries now beginning in April 2027.

Read more: Another delay for Qantas non-stop London, New York flights?

The other twelve are standard A350-1000s – which Qantas refers to as the ‘long-range 1000LR’ – which will arrive from 2028, alongside a dozen factory-fresh Boeing 787s, “to progressively replace its existing A330s.”

Those 1000LRs will be a “higher-density” three-class variant of the Project Sunrise A350s, with business class, premium economy and economy cabins but not first class.

Qantas' next-gen business class suites will be standard across all A350s.

Speaking with Executive Traveller on the sidelines of Qantas’ launch of direct flights to Paris in mid-2024, Qantas Group CEO Vanessa Hudson confirmed the Airbus A350 “will ultimately (be) replacing the A380s” – and those A350s would “be the flagship aircraft that’ll have the new first class, business class, premium economy and economy.”

Also read: Qantas A350-1000 seat map, from tip to tail

Qantas has not yet inked the order for those A380 replacements, but a growing backlog at Airbus and Boeing means the clock is ticking.

Airlines joining the queue for the popular A350 are said to now be facing a five- to six-year wait, with some 700 A350-900s and -1000s delivered but an order backlog exceeding 850 jets.

In other words, if Qantas signs on the dotted line for any additional A350s this year, it might not collect the keys until 2032 – which broadly aligns with the timetable for putting the first A380s out to pasture.

The A350s which will replace the A380s will include these private first class roomettes.

While Reuters is flagging a possible order for around 20 Airbus or Boeing twin-aisle jets, this order could also be evenly split between the two manufacturers, just as Qantas did with its A330 replacement program.

Qantas also holds options for additional Airbus and Boeing jets, beyond existing orders, which could be firmed up as part of this deal.

A Qantas spokesperson told Reuters the airline was “in regular contact with aircraft manufacturers as part of our ongoing fleet planning and always update the market when we have something to announce” – and, unsurprisingly, “we currently have no updates or orders to announce.”

Also read: How much will Qantas charge for non-stop flights to London?