QANTAS Fleet and Operations

[James Smith]

Originally Posted by Dennis McLean on 9/10/23
I just had a quick look at the A.380's. There are 6 in service now only, with J in AUH since 5-7-23, over 3 months presume maintenance ?, H in PUS for painting, A still in AUH since 18-11-22 and C in AUH since 21-6-21.
B on the way LHR/SIN, K on the way SIN/LHR, D in SYD from SIN today, G in LAX from SYD local time 08/10/23, I in Syd from SIN today, L in SYD from LAX today.

Dennis, just commenting on your post from early October.

There are seven QANTAS A380s currently in service with OQH having returned to LAX from PUS on 21/10/23 after its repaint. I would expect that OQJ will return to service, hopefully this month, to provide some flexibility in the NW A380 schedule. She has been in AUH for 4 months now but was one of only two A380s that didn't go to AUH for lengthy maintenance prior to recommencing service, following storage. The other was OQD who was at AUH for maintenance when COVID emerged and positioned directly to LAX (not VCV) for storage and has recently had maintenance in SIN.

The new NW schedules have increased flying for the A380s. QF127/128 SYD-HKG-SYD is being operated by A380s five days per week building up to daily from January to 23/2/24. OQL is to operate this service mostly but OQB looks to be doing it today. Also, QF93/94 MEL-LAX-MEL is commencing A380 operations twice per week for NW with the first flight QF94 from LAX arriving tomorrow in MEL.

These increases mean that QANTAS needs an extra one and a half A380s, one for HKG and the other for the two services per week to LAX. Added to the five needed for QF1/2 and QF11/12 this equals seven aircraft with some flexibility. So, QANTAS need an extra A380 in service as a replacement to meet any unserviceability or other issues that may arise. OQJ can provide this when it returns to service. Until then QANTAS would need to juggle the schedule with maybe an A330 to operate to HKG to free OQL for other A380 services at the last minute.

It looks as though OQL's refurbishment is on the back burner until after late February, 2024 at the earliest, unless either OQA or OQC make a return to service. Maybe the return to service of some of the Etihad A380s has put QANTAS maintenance down the order. Looking further ahead, in the QANTAS NS schedule QF93/94 increases to six A380 services per week from July and QF63/64 commences A380 services in early July when all ten A380s will need to be flying for QANTAS to operate this increased flying.

[Dennis McLean]

Thanks James.

[James Smith]

B717 VH-NXD has left CBR for APW (5 hours) as SXI2366 on the first leg of its ferry flight to VCV. I read somewhere that a temporary fuel bladder had been fitted to increase the range of these flights, hence the more direct Pacific crossing for NXD and not over the northern Pacific or through Europe.

[Tristan S]

Originally Posted by James Smith

B717 VH-NXD has left CBR for APW (5 hours) as SXI2366 on the first leg of its ferry flight to VCV. I read somewhere that a temporary fuel bladder had been fitted to increase the range of these flights, hence the more direct Pacific crossing for NXD and not over the northern Pacific or through Europe.

She's coming back to SYD after doing a few loops over NLK
No indication of why.

(side note: must be some gnarly headwinds, looking at the ground speed it has dropped by 100-150kts)

[Rowan McKeever]

NXD landed back in CBR. No surprise, it was a technical issue but I know no more than that.

[James Smith]

Maybe it has bladder problems!

[Greg Hyde]

Originally Posted by James Smith

Maybe it has bladder problems!

It comes with old age.

[James Smith]

B717 VH-NXD has left CBR again this morning, after fixing its technical issue, for APW as SXI2366 on the first leg of its ferry flight to VCV.

[Adrian B]

If the Flightaware stats are correct, looks like someone tapped the brakes. NXD went from 610knts to 484 knots in 3 minutes - whilst holding altitude....
Flightaware SXI2366

[Greg Hyde]

NXD has completed its ferry to VCV.