- Qantas will start retiring its 10 Airbus A380s in 2028, four years earlier than planned.
- The first Project Sunrise A350-1000ULR is expected to enter Sydney–London service in October 2027.
- Qantas estimates about A$300 million in net cash-flow benefit from avoiding heavy maintenance costs.
Qantas will begin retiring its 10 Airbus A380s in 2028, bringing the phase-out forward by four years from the airline’s previous 2032 plan. The move starts a staged exit for the superjumbo, not an immediate withdrawal from long-haul routes.
The airline announced the change with its FY2026 results in Sydney on 27 August 2026. New aircraft deliveries, particularly for Project Sunrise, give Qantas more flexibility to remove older jets from the fleet.
Vanessa Hudson, Qantas Group CEO, said the first new ultra-long-haul aircraft will arrive in April.
“With our first Project Sunrise A350-1000ULR to arrive in April and more A350s and 787s on the way, it’s a new era for Qantas’ international fleet, with these next-generation aircraft set to transform the way our customers travel. This means we can commence the retirement of our A380 fleet from 2028.”
The first A350-1000ULR is expected to begin Sydney–London service in October 2027. Qantas has described the transition as gradual, allowing the incoming fleet to take over capacity as the older aircraft leave.
The timing also reflects the rising cost of keeping the A380 flying. The type is no longer in production, making parts and heavy maintenance harder to source as supply-chain constraints add pressure.
Qantas International and Freight CEO Cam Wallace said the fleet had become more difficult to support. Hudson gave a similar explanation in comments released with the results.
“The A380s are no longer in production, which means that the maintenance expenses for those aircraft will increase over time, as will the costs associated with disruptions.”
New widebodies give Qantas room to retire the older fleet
Qantas has a sizeable replacement program underway. Initial deliveries are expected in FY2028.
| Aircraft | On order | Role in the transition |
|---|---|---|
| A350-1000ULR | 12 | Ultra-long-haul flying, including the Project Sunrise network |
| A350-1000 | 12 | New-generation long-haul operations |
| Boeing 787 | 12 | Additional long-haul fleet capacity |
The aircraft arriving around the same period are central to the earlier retirement schedule. Qantas had previously expected to retain its 10 A380s until around 2032, but the delivery outlook now supports an earlier phase-out.
One estimate puts the change at about A$300 million in net cash-flow benefit between fiscal 2028 and fiscal 2031. The projected gain would come mainly from avoiding heavy maintenance costs through 2031.
That figure is tied to fleet economics, not a change in passenger service announced for a particular route. Qantas has not publicly identified which individual aircraft will leave first or which routes will lose A380 service first.
The first retirement will leave route details open
The airline says the retirement begins in calendar year 2028. It has not set out a public sequence for the 10 aircraft, so travelers cannot yet identify a specific flight that will switch from the A380.
The arrival schedule offers one clear marker. The first A350-1000ULR is expected to enter Sydney–London service in October 2027, ahead of the planned A380 retirements.
Qantas’ move follows the broader economics of a discontinued aircraft type. The A380’s size made it a prominent part of the airline’s premium international operation, but its future depends on increasingly difficult maintenance support and the availability of newer aircraft.
Qantas first introduced the A380 in 2008. The aircraft has remained its flagship large long-haul jet and has been closely associated with premium international routes.
The airline’s next fleet phase will therefore unfold across several years. The A380 will continue flying while new A350 and 787 aircraft arrive, with the first removals scheduled for 2028.
