Qantas is reportedly considering an order for more Airbus A350 or Boeing 787 Dreamliner widebody twinjets as it looks to the future and the retirement of its existing Airbus A380 fleet. According to data made from ch-aviation, the Australian flag carrier and oneworld member once had 12 superjumbos at its disposal. However, it has already retired two, and the other ten are not getting any younger.

Indeed, these remaining double-decker widebody quadjets are 16.7 years old on average, and, according to a recent report on the matter by Executive Traveller, Qantas is planning to begin phasing them out in the early 2030s. On this front, Reuters has heard from sources within the industry that the Airbus A350 and Boeing 787 have emerged as the frontrunners to replace the superjumbo at Qantas.

Weighing Up The Options

Credit: Great Circle Map

Qantas is said to be in discussions with both Airbus and Boeing regarding a potential order for around 20 A350 or 787 widebody twinjets as it weighs up its options ahead of the start of the A380’s retirement in the 2032 financial year. While both of these aircraft are considerably smaller than the A380, regardless of the variant chosen, modern twinjets such as these are the future of long-haul flying.

Executive Traveller notes that Qantas has previously discussed its plans to “ultimately replace its 10 A380s with A350s from around FY32 onwards.” However, with the Boeing 787 now reportedly part of the equation, the swap may not be so straightforward. According to Reuters, a spokesperson for the Australian flag carrier said that Qantas “currently has no updates or orders to announce,” but did add that:

“We’re in ​regular contact with aircraft manufacturers as part of our ongoing fleet planning ​and always update the market when we have something to ⁠announce.”

Qantas’ First Airbus A350-1000ULR Recently Took Flight

Credit: Qantas

It is worth noting that, according to the latest fleet data made available by ch-aviation, Qantas does already have a grand total of 24 aircraft from the Airbus A350 family on order. All of these are examples of the stretched-fuselage A350-1000 model, which has the benefit of increased capacity and range over its smaller counterpart, the A350-900. The A350-1000 also forms the basis for the A350 freighter.

Of the 24 units of the Airbus A350-1000 that Qantas currently has on order, 12 are ultra-long-range A350-1000ULR models that the airline has earmarked for its ‘Project Sunrise’ nonstop flights from Europe and the US East Coast to Sydney and Melbourne. Earlier this week, the first of these special aircraft took to the skies for the first time on a test flight out of Toulouse, as detailed in our video coverage seen below.

The other 12 aircraft that make up this order are set to be standard examples of the Airbus A350-1000. However, these will not be used to replace Qantas’ remaining fleet of ten units of the A380, with Executive Traveller noting that their role has already been earmarked for the near future. Specifically, they will be used (alongside the Boeing 787) to replace its existing widebody twinjets from the Airbus A330 family.

Where Does Qantas Currently Fly The Airbus A380?

Credit: Great Circle Maps

Qantas’ relatively small sub-fleet size and the aircraft’s challenging economics mean that the Australian flag carrier is currently only flying the Airbus A380 on a select handful of routes where demand (particularly on the premium front) is high enough. According to data from Cirium, an aviation analytics company, the most frequently served route is Sydney (SYD) to Singapore (SIN), with 37 flights this June.

Of these, 30 (one a day) will continue onwards, with a second leg to London Heathrow Airport (LHR) in the UK. Qantas also flies the A380 daily from Sydney to Dallas/Fort Worth (DFW) and Los Angeles (LAX), as well as less frequently from Sydney to Johannesburg (four times a week) and Melbourne (MEL) to LAX (twice a week). Whatever aircraft replaces the A380 at Qantas, its premium cabins will be key.