QF to recommence A380 services

QANTAS has confirmed that it will resume A380 operations on November 27, commencing with flight QF31 from Sydney to London via Singapore.

The aircraft for the service will fly to Sydney on a ferry flight from Los Angeles, scheduled to depart at 23h00 local time on November 22. A second aircraft is expected to depart Los Angeles for Sydney later this week.

The decision to restore A380 services follows an intensive Trent 900 engine inspection programme carried out in close consultation with Rolls-Royce and Airbus.

The engine and aircraft manufacturers, the Civil Aviation Safety Authority and Qantas are now satisfied that the airline can progressively reintroduce A380s to its international network.

Initially, Qantas will operate a single A380 between Australia and the United Kingdom. As more A380s return to service, it will assess when and how best to deploy them.

In line with its conservative approach to operational safety, Qantas is voluntarily suspending A380 services on routes that regularly require use of maximum certified engine thrust and will do so until further operational experience is gained or possible additional changes are made to engines.

This is an operational decision by Qantas and pilots still have access to maximum certified thrust if they require it during flight. It is not a manufacturer’s directive.
Qantas has continued to operate a full international and domestic schedule, using B747 aircraft on long-haul routes to the United States and Europe, A330 aircraft to replace B747s on some routes and B767s to replace A330s on other routes.

A380 engines remain subject to the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) Airworthiness Directive issued on November 11, mandating that all Trent 900s undergo certain inspections every 20 flying cycles. Qantas will comply fully with this directive both for A380s brought back into service and for new aircraft entering the Qantas fleet.