Qantas Project Sunrise goes ahead, 12 new A350-1000s ordered

[SYD]

I don't expect the 380 to go away anytime soon on the current QF1/2 route utilising SIN as a major hub for other cities to connect to.

The a380 in of itself is still a standout aircraft to fly in and plenty will want to do this journey rather than direct. It's not one or the other.

But when they go, the non Sunrise A350s will have a lot less seats, so justifiable to maintain non-stop and one stop.

 

[Doddler]

It’s not a question of the A380s going - they won’t. It’s a question of how Qantas configures and markets them, and the implications of that. Qantas has basically stated that the Sunrise flights will be for their premium passengers, and the one-stop flights will cater for volume of other passengers.

 

[SYD]

It’s not a question of the A380s going - they won’t. It’s a question of how Qantas configures and markets them, and the implications of that. Qantas has basically stated that the Sunrise flights will be for their premium passengers, and the one-stop flights will cater for volume of other passengers.

There’s a 2nd tranche of non-sunrise A350s coming that WILL replace the A380s. So they’ll need a mix of sunrise and one stop to maintain current capacity.

Qantas to Replace A380 with A350-1000 Starting Early 2030 - Air Data News

Qantas is set to introduce the Airbus A350-1000 on select international routes, marking the gradual retirement of its Airbus A380-800 fleet. Services to

www.airdatanews.com

Yes, they could swing those A380s off to other routes towards the end of life like they did with the last B744s. They’re already on JNB. No idea if SCL could support one and there’s been speculation of HND, but apparently there are limits for A380s there. Of course HKG has seen A380s also.

 

[jase05]

Yes, they could swing those A380s off to other routes towards the end of life

Convert them to all Y and send them to JQ to run Double decker Bintang Expresses

 

[evanb]

There’s a 2nd tranche of non-sunrise A350s coming that WILL replace the A380s. So they’ll need a mix of sunrise and one stop to maintain current capacity.

Qantas to Replace A380 with A350-1000 Starting Early 2030 - Air Data News

Qantas is set to introduce the Airbus A350-1000 on select international routes, marking the gradual retirement of its Airbus A380-800 fleet. Services to

www.airdatanews.com

Yes, they could swing those A380s off to other routes towards the end of life like they did with the last B744s. They’re already on JNB. No idea if SCL could support one and there’s been speculation of HND, but apparently there are limits for A380s there. Of course HKG has seen A380s also.

I think that's been misreported. The 2nd tranche of A350-1000s won't be replacing the A380s, rather they're part of the A330 replacement order. 12x B787s and 12x A350s (non-ULR) to replace most of the A330s with a few of the younger A330-200s getting a refurb. These start arriving in 2027, well before A380's slated retirement between 2030 or 2032.

In addition to the 12x B787s and 12x A350s there are options that are slated to replace the A380s and remaining A330s from 2030 or 2032. So it's more like the 3rd tranche and a long way down the line still.

 

[elanshin]

I wonder if the 777X are an option as an plane they'd use for 380 replacement after they see it roll out and initial teething issues.

 

[evanb]

I wonder if the 777X are still in thought as an plane they'd use for 380 replacement after they see it roll out and initial teething issues.

No reason why it wouldn't be considered. Qantas did a fair bit of work on the B777X during the Project Sunrise evaluation, so they have a good understanding.

Ultimately, what's running against it is Qantas coalescing around two widebody types. Would the benefit of marginally larger aircraft (B777-9 isn't that much bigger than the A350-1000) justify the fixed costs of another fleet type and would the fleet be large enough to justify the fixed costs?

 

[levelnine]

Qantas say a lot of things that they don't end up doing. At the end of the day, it will be economics that drive the decision.

My prediction is Qantas will do well with the direct Sunrise flights & struggle with the one-stop flights via SIN, ultimately dropping them.

Once you're doing a one-stop service, you're competing against a whole host of airlines that offer better products and/or lower prices combined. It helps explain why Qantas' capacity into LHR has reduced over time in favour of non-stop routes to Europe from PER — that's where it's competitive advantage lies.

 

[dajop]

Qantas say a lot of things that they don't end up doing. At the end of the day, it will be economics that drive the decision.

My prediction is Qantas will do well with the direct Sunrise flights & struggle with the one-stop flights via SIN, ultimately dropping them.

I remain sceptical that we’ll see sunrise services between MEL and LHR despite them being mentioned originally (in favour of double daily from SYD and SYD-CDG perhaps) , and as such the via SIN service will pivot to MEL-SIN-LHR to serve MEL, BNE and a new A321 service from ADL.