Qantas A380 refurbishment news and updates

[Ansett]

Its great news that they will be back, I for one have missed them and cant wait to book a flight on them again

 

[Captain Halliday]

Any chance OQA will get preserved somewhere? I know room is a little tight at YWOL

I'm sure they would make room if it was offered (assuming they could land it there).

You guys are a bunch of hoarders

They should park one at Barangaroo or something as a tourist attraction. That’s full of massive man made structures! The wind tunnels might even lift it now and then for fun and giggles!

You’re all dreaming.

When the rivers of revenue are flowing and profits are measured in the tens-of-millions, sure.

But these are austere days.

QF needs to get every last cent it can for an asset.

So obviously OQA will be the headline item in the next points auction.

 

[NSun]

When the A380s are formally retired there's a better chance some might be preserved as a museum or something else.

But obviously you'd have to fly them to that place first and it was a tough exercise for Qantas to get those 747s to Longreach and Albion Park. Would be even tougher for a superjumbo but if a "newcomer" from an aviation museum perspective was to acquire one no doubt it'd be the star attraction.

 

[PineappleSkip]

Would like to see an A380 parked at LRE. Does it require any more runway to land than a 747? I remember from the tour the efforts to strip down the 747 to land it there.

cheers skip

 

[Hvr]

Would like to see an A380 parked at LRE. Does it require any more runway to land than a 747? I remember from the tour the efforts to strip down the 747 to land it there.

cheers skip

Let's ask the expert: @jb747 will know the answer.

 

[jb747]

Let's ask the expert: @jb747 will know the answer.

The A380 performance data was on the company iPads, so I can't give you the exact figures. In general though, it's take off performance was better than the 747, but whilst the landing performance was similar, I was never as comfortable putting it onto the shorter runways as I was with the 747. Empty weight was 80 or so tonnes greater than the 747, and it had the same number of brakes. The triple bogie on the fuselage gear only had brakes on two of the sets. Ground handling would be an even bigger issue, as it has much wider track, and the wheel loading is also higher.

Beyond that though, I think history will see it as a failure, and I'm not sure that the museums want to remember that.

 

[moa999]

On the flip side, I can't see that QF will ever operate an aircraft that large.
And if it is NBW it's got a whole story to go with it.

Certainly not worth much other than as tin cans.

 

[NickCorr]

Any value will be in it being a Qantas A380.. It has already been shown that there is not even a significant spare parts value for these frames with multiple already cut up for keyrings, whilst 747s just sit around in boneyards. I assume to help keep the huge number of 747F's flying for the foreseeable future.

 

[Quickstatus]

Sentimental value counts for nothing in this business

 

[RAM]

Sentimental value counts for nothing in this business

Thre is no truth to the rumour that there is a framed sign behind AJ's desk displaying that. None at all.

 

[Spongbob]

Thre is no truth to the rumour that there is a framed sign behind AJ's desk displaying that. None at all.

Maybe the Jetstar logo?

 

[Must...Fly!]

Beyond that though, I think history will see it as a failure, and I'm not sure that the museums want to remember that.

It won't win pride of place in any economics museum. But an engineering one...

 

[jb747]

Thre is no truth to the rumour that there is a framed sign behind AJ's desk displaying that. None at all.

I thought it was a framed picture of himself.

 

[jakeseven7]

I thought it was a framed picture of himself.

I thought it was a series of photos of all the Virgin CEOs that have been fired / resigned over the years with crosses through them like a check list.

 

[RAM]

I thought it was a framed picture of himself.

jb747 get real!

They're all arranged on the desk facing him!

 

[moa999]

To update this thread, now that OQB has been refurbed, and we know that OQE and OQF are in partout.

Seven refurbs of which five are flying today
OQB, OQD, OQG, OQH, OQI, OQJ, OQK
OQI - inactive and still at Victorville
OQG - presently at AUH for (minor) maintenance

Three remaining to be returned to service.
OQC - At AUH since mid-2021, possibly getting refurb and other maintenance.
OQA, OQL - remain at Victorville.

And photographed beginning partout in Victorville
OQE, OQF

 

[Melburnian1]

One media source (Michael West, who self styles himself as an 'independent journalist'- he used to be a business one for 'SMH'/'The Age') features claims from a QF engineer that QFi has locked four of the 14 first class seats in each refurbished A380, and that the work done was substandard, but the Sydney base doesn't have the spare parts, or time, necessary to fix the seats.

West incorrectly claims that QFi has only three of its A388s operating. That hasn't been true for a while: QFi is doing better as moa999 points out.

 

[aus_flyer]

One media source (Michael West, who self styles himself as an 'independent journalist'- he used to be a business one for 'SMH'/'The Age') features claims from a QF engineer that QFi has locked four of the 14 first class seats in each refurbished A380, and that the work done was substandard, but the Sydney base doesn't have the spare parts, or time, necessary to fix the seats.

West incorrectly claims that QFi has only three of its A388s operating. That hasn't been true for a while: QFi is doing better as moa999 points out.

Looking at seat maps this is clearly untrue

 

[encryptededdy]

QFi has locked four of the 14 first class seats in each refurbished A380

That doesn't even pass the smell test... so exactly 4 seats are broken in each plane?

Of course, I suppose they could be underbooking the F cabin by 4 pax in order to have some flexibility in case some seats are inop, but that seems highly unlikely.

 

[Kiwi_Flyer]

Can confirm all 14 F seats in use on my 1.5 recent trips to LHR.

1.5 = 1 trip to and from on qf, 1 trip to on wf and from on ek.