Qantas has just launched a new Airbus A380 route, which is noteworthy on a couple of levels.
Qantas flying A380 from Sydney to Johannesburg
Qantas flies between Sydney (SYD) and Johannesburg (JNB) six times per week. Historically, the route has been operated by a Boeing 787-9. However, as of September 30, 2024, the route has been upgraded to an Airbus A380, representing a major capacity increase. Specifically, the A380 operates the route with the following schedule:
QF63 Sydney to Johannesburg departing 9:30AM arriving 4:10PM
QF64 Johannesburg to Sydney departing 6:40PM arriving 2:35PM (+1 day)
The 6,862-mile route is blocked at 14hr40min to South Africa, and 11hr55min to Australia. Qantas’ A380s are configured with 485 seats, comprised of 14 first class seats, 70 business class seats, 60 premium economy seats, and 341 economy seats.
This represents a major capacity upgrade in the market, as Qantas is adding 130,000 extra seats per year over the 787-9. This also represents the introduction of first class on the route, plus a massive increase in the number of seats across business class, premium economy, and economy.
Qantas credits the capacity boost as being thanks to a new codeshare agreement with South Africa’s Airlink, providing more connectivity for Airlink passengers beyond Johannesburg. In addition to this route being upgraded, Qantas also plans to launch a new route between Perth (PER) and Johannesburg (JNB) as of the middle of 2025.
Here’s how Qantas International CEO Cam Wallace describes this development:
“We are seeing strong demand for our Johannesburg services and, by upgrading to the Superjumbo, we will nearly double capacity during peak periods, adding over 130,000 seats per year between the continents. Qantas has a rich history of flying to South Africa over the past 72 years, having operated Constellations and Super Constellations, Electras, 707s, 747s, Dreamliners and now the A380.”
“The A380 is a favourite among our frequent flyers and it will be great to see the Flying Kangaroo in the land of the springbok. This extra capacity, combined with our new codeshare with Airlink, will significantly expand the options for Qantas customers heading to Africa, strengthening the connections between family and friends, business and trade as well as supporting the tourism industry on both sides of the Indian Ocean.
What makes this route noteworthy
This upgraded Johannesburg service marks the first time that Qantas has flown the Airbus A380 to Africa, so that’s pretty cool. What’s also awesome is that this is the world’s only A380 flight that crosses the southern Indian Ocean, and when flying a southerly route on a clear day, it’s often possible to see Antarctica.
Qantas has a small fleet of Airbus A380s. The airline currently has eight of these active, with another two expected to be brought back into service over the next 18 months. Qantas otherwise flies its A380s to London (LHR), Los Angeles (LAX), and Singapore (SIN).
Qantas plans to keep its A380s around until 2032 or so, at which point the planes should be replaced by Airbus A350-1000s and Boeing 787-9s, as Qantas has quite a few of those on order.
Bottom line
For the first time ever, Qantas has started flying the Airbus A380 between Sydney and Johannesburg, representing the most southerly A380 route in the world. Given Qantas’ small A380 fleet, it’s interesting to see the airline mixing up its fleet planning, and flying the A380 to Johannesburg year-round.
What do you make of Qantas flying the A380 to Johannesburg?
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