QANTAS: Final A380 returns, back in the air 1 January 2026

Just in time for the Christmas travel crush, Qantas has wheeled its tenth and final Airbus A380 out of long-term storage and back onto the Sydney tarmac, nearly 2,000 days since it last touched Australian soil. Yes, the superjumbo Paul McGinness (named for one of the airline’s founders) is back, refreshed, refurbished, and ready to haul Australians across the planet once again.

For passengers, this is the start of more capacity on some of Qantas’ most in-demand long-haul routes.

What this means for travellers

From 1 January 2026, the returned A380 will allow Qantas to offer daily A380 flights between Sydney and Dallas/Fort Worth. On this route, demand frequently outstrips supply, and a superjumbo’s generous seat count really matters. For travellers, this translates to more available seats, potentially more reward availability, and fewer ‘sold out’ screens when piecing together a trans-Pacific itinerary.

It will also helps Qantas bolster services to Singapore and Johannesburg, two destinations that benefit from the A380’s size and refreshed premium-heavy cabin layout.

A superjumbo glow-up

Every A380 returning from the desert has undergone what Qantas calls its largest maintenance and refurbishment program in 105 years. More than 100,000 engineering staff hours went into resurrecting this particular aircraft. That included heavy maintenance, landing-gear replacement, extensive system checks and a full suite of test flights before it could be cleared to rejoin the fleet.

Inside, passengers will find refreshed cabins throughout. First retains its 14 suites but now sports refurbished finishes, elevated dining, new Aesop amenity kits, Bollinger champagne and redesigned pyjamas. Business Class has been updated and expanded with 70 seats, alongside a refreshed upper-deck lounge. Premium Economy has been expanded to 60 seats with improved cushioning and fabrics, while Economy’s 341 seats receive new cushions, covers, and entertainment updates. None of it radically changes what these cabins are, but everything looks a little fresher and less tired.

What Cam Wallace says about it

Qantas International CEO Cam Wallace is leaning into the nostalgia. He notes that more than one million passengers flew on Qantas’ A380s last year and that the aircraft remains a customer favourite. He also points to the scale of the engineering challenge: bringing an A380 back from nearly six years in storage requires thousands of parts, logistics spanning land, sea and air, and global engineering teams working across time zones.

2PAXfly Takeout

But the message for travellers is straightforward. The return of this final A380 adds more seats to the network, especially on long-haul routes that desperately need them. Combined with American Airlines’ partnership, the upgraded Dallas route unlocks one-stop access to more than 230 destinations across the United States.

Qantas has now fully restored its A380 fleet. Pre-pandemic, we thought they might all be gone by now, replaced by A350-1000s. Few predicted in the post-pandemic years that the A380 would fill a desperate capacity need. For travellers, it means more capacity, we hope, better access to reward seats, and the satisfaction of seeing travellers’ favourite aircraft return to the skies.