Since the onset of this year’s regional hostilities in the Middle East, following US and Israeli attacks on Iran, Qatar Airways has had to have a rather serious operational reshuffle as it adapts to fluctuations in passenger demand. This has manifested itself in various ways, but perhaps the most obvious has been the temporary withdrawal of its Airbus A380 fleet from service.

Now, however, the oneworld member is readying its A380s for a return. Indeed, according to Cirium, an aviation analytics company, Qatar Airways plans to restart A380 flights on two routes from June 16.

Ready To Restart

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To begin with, Qatar Airways’ resumed A380 operations from its main hub at Doha Hamad International Airport (DOH) will serve two hubs that have long been popular destinations for the double-decker widebody quadjet: London and Bangkok. As of June 16, both corridors will be served by two flights a day in each direction, representing a considerable vote of confidence from the airline.

Flying to London Heathrow Airport (LHR) in the United Kingdom, both daily A380 departures will be morning services: QR103 departs at 1:15 AM, followed by QR3 at 8:00 AM. Meanwhile, the flights to Suvarnabhumi Airport (BKK) in Bangkok are much more closely sequenced, with just 30 minutes separating the departures of QR834 (2:00 AM) and QR836 (2:30 AM). The carrier commented on what passengers can experience onboard its A380s.

“From a warm welcome to state-of-the-art entertainment and delicious gourmet dining, our secret to unforgettable journeys is simple: it’s all in the detail.”

The Current State Of Qatar Airways’ Airbus A380 Fleet

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According to present fleet data made available by ch-aviation, 10 A380s are registered to Qatar Airways, although two have been stored since April 2020. The other eight are in short-term storage at the time of writing, with previous analysis by Simple Flying showing that the last of them arrived in Doha in April.

Qatar Airways’ A380s have an average age of 10.8 years, which aligns almost exactly with the carrier’s fleet-wide mean figure of 10.7 years. As such, you would expect that they have plenty of flying left in them, although, given aviation’s external pressures, this isn’t always guaranteed. Indeed, by April 2025, 27 A380s (from a total production run of 251 jets plus three prototypes) had already left the skies on a permanent basis.

As far as the onboard experience is concerned, Qatar Airways favors a three-class layout for its A380s. However, while such setups typically include economy, premium economy, and business class cabins, the airline has opted for economy, business, and first class. According to data from aeroLOPA, these sections respectively have eight, 48, and 461 seats, giving the carrier’s A380s an overall capacity of 517 passengers.

What Does The Rest Of The Year Look Like?

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Of course, given the ongoing geopolitical uncertainty surrounding the Middle East, Qatar Airways’ forthcoming A380 operations remain subject to change. Still, looking ahead to the rest of the year, we can see that the carrier is currently planning to serve a grand total of five destinations with the type by the time that 2026 comes to an end. These five routes span three different continents, as shown in the map embedded above.

On the European side, in the middle of September, Qatar Airways plans to reduce its London A380 services to a daily rotation, with the extra capacity freed up by this move allowing the superjumbo to also serve Paris daily. Meanwhile, mid-September will also see the restart of daily A380 operations from Doha to Singapore and Sydney, with Bangkok gradually dropping to a daily frequency by November.