Undoubtedly, the Airbus A380 is one of the most-watched aircraft in the world, and today Australia's flag carrier, Qantas, has announced it is returning two of the mega-jumbos to service. These are the final two A380s that have now completed cabin refurbishment and all the associated maintenance needed after spending time in the US desert.

The seats are on A380s and 787 Dreamliners

The Qantas Group, which includes low-cost carrier Jetstar, is currently at around 80% of its pre-pandemic international capacity levels. International capacity has almost doubled in the last twelve months and is expected to recover fully by March 2024, and with more capacity announced today, it will exceed pre-COVID levels from July 2024 onwards.

Photo: Steve Worner | Shutterstock

Over the last few months, Qantas has also received three long-awaited Boeing 787s, and with the A380s gradually returning, it is time to increase capacity on popular routes. Today Qantas announced it is adding more than 250,000 international seats to and from Australia, including to high-demand destinations such as Bali, New York, Johannesburg and Los Angeles.

Qantas International CEO Cam Wallace said the additional flying would help boost the tourism industry and satisfy the sustained demand for international travel. He added:

"Hundreds of thousands of extra seats on our network is great news for our customers planning their next overseas trip. We know our customers are looking for great value and this additional capacity will put more downward pressure on fares. The additional capacity will largely be made possible through our final two A380s returning to the Qantas fleet following heavy maintenance and cabin improvements."

Photo: Angel DiBilio / Shutterstock

Today's announcement from Qantas included some network changes that will flow from these additional 787 and A380 widebodies coming into service.

• Sydney - Bali: Larger Airbus A330 aircraft will replace daily Boeing 737 flights from October this year with more premium seats and fully-flat beds in business class.
• Sydney - Auckland - New York: This route was launched in June and has proven so successful that flights will be increased from four per week to daily from August 2024.
• Sydney - Johannesburg: For the first time, Qantas will operate Airbus A380s to South Africa, starting from July 2024. This will nearly double capacity during peak periods.
• Melbourne - Los Angeles: Qantas is adding around 20% more capacity on the route, with more A380 flights commencing from July 2024.
• Sydney - Los Angeles: Flights will increase from eight to nine per week from July 2024, using a mix of 787 Dreamliner and A380 aircraft.

An extra one million already announced

In May, Qantas made a similar announcement when it said it would add around one million international seats over the next twelve months, starting from October 2023. That boost was also based on new Boeing 787 Dreamliners arriving and the two A380s returning to service at the end of this year.

Photo: Vincenzo Pace | Simple Flying

It was also when Qantas announced its plan to wet lease two Airbus A330s from Finnair, commencing in October. For the first two and a half years the flights will be operated by Finnair pilots and cabin crews, and from late 2025 Qantas pilots and cabin crew will take over with the A330s reverting to a dry lease agreement for up to three years.

The A330s will operate selected Qantas flights between Sydney and Singapore from October and all flights between Sydney and Bangkok from late March 2024.

What do you think about Qantas wet leasing Finnair A330s? Let us know in the comments.