SYDNEY — Australia's flag carrier Qantas' (QF) has welcomed its tenth and final A380 back to Sydney (SYD) after almost six years in storage.

The A380, named the Paul McGinness, after one of QF's founders, has undergone an intensive overhaul. This is in fact, the largest maintenance check completed in Qantas’ 105-year history, representing a significant milestone for its engineering and fleet renewal programs.

A MILESTONE FOR QANTAS

As the largest passenger aircraft in the world, the A380 has unique engineering requirements. Maintenance and engineering teams from around the world have completed more than 100,000 hours of work along with a full cabin refresh to prepare Paul McGinness to rejoin the international fleet.

“Bringing an A380 back into service after nearly six years in storage is no small feat. Teams of engineers around the globe came together to complete more than 100,000 hours of work to prepare the aircraft for flying again, from extensive checks to heavy maintenance, landing gear replacement, a full cabin refresh and assessment flying, with parts shipped by land, sea and sky”. Qantas International CEO Cam Wallace said.

KEY LONG-HAUL AICRAFT

Each of QF's A380s feature 14 First, 70 Business, 60 Premium Economy and 341 Economy seats. All of the carrier's A380 aircraft have indeed undergone a full cabin refresh and reconfiguration including a refurbished First cabin and upper deck lounge, and more premium seats in Business and Premium Economy. Travelers from all over the world enjoy flying on the A380.

“We know our customers love our A380 aircraft and last year our superjumbo fleet carried over 1 million people on our international network. The return of our final A380 means we can offer even more seats on popular long-haul routes to destinations like Dallas, Singapore and Johannesburg." Wallace said.
Qantas has progressively brought its A380 fleet back into service over the last few years. Each aircraft has undergone extensive engineering checks along with a full cabin refurbishment before returning to the fleet.

The A380 concerned will serve as an operational spare during the Christmas period. However, from January 1 2026, it will boost international capacity with daily flights to Dallas (DFW).