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That did not take long. On October 24, a Qantas Airbus A380 will leave Melbourne Airport (MEL) for the final time, with no scheduled services planned after that date. From then on, the 
oneworld member’s subfleet of superjumbos will be exclusively flown from 
Sydney Kingsford Smith Airport (SYD).
Qantas is one of ten remaining scheduled users of the double-decker quadjet. Appropriately, it has ten remaining aircraft, each with 485 seats and averaging 17.1 years. They are among the oldest A380s, and include the world’s second, third, fourth, and fifth-oldest active airline-operated superjumbos.
Goodbye, Melbourne!
Cirium Diio data for 2026 shows that Qantas’ last remaining A380 destination from MEL is 
Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), with the type running twice-weekly. Of course, other places saw the equipment in the past, with more on those routes later in the article.
On Saturday, October 24, a superjumbo operating flight QF94 will arrive in MEL for the last time, having left California’s busiest airport on October 22. The aircraft will then fly back to LAX on the same day, ending 18 years of the type being deployed on the long route. When writing, Flightradar24 data does not disclose exactly which frame will be deployed on the final services.
Final Date For MEL-Bound A380 Service | LAX To MEL; Local Times | Final Date For LAX-Bound A380 Service | MEL To LAX; Local Times |
|---|---|---|---|
October 22 | QF94: 8:50 PM-6:45 AM+2 | October 24 | QF93: 9:45 AM-6:05 AM (same day arrival) |
From October 25, the very long airport pair, which covers 6,883 nautical miles (12,747 km) each way, will be exclusively served by the 236-seat Boeing 787-9. The variant will run daily. On the days on which the Dreamliner, to use the Boeing moniker, replaces the double-decker, 498 fewer round-trip seats will be available.
A major difference is that the route will no longer have any first class. The number of business seats will fall by 16%, along with a 25% reduction in premium economy seats and 23% fewer economy seats. The big reduction in premium economy and economy means that business class will account for almost 18% of the total capacity. That’s a marginally higher proportion than right now, when first class and business class are included.
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Qantas’ First A380 Operation From MEL Was On October 20, 2008
Cirium indicates that Qantas’ first scheduled A380 service from MEL was on October 20, 2008, exactly 18 years from when this article was written. It occurred four days before the airline’s commercial debut at SYD. Qantas’ initial MEL route was to LAX, with a twice-weekly year-round operation, which is the exact same setup that currently exists.
Schedule analysis shows that three other destinations saw the double-decker quadjet on a regular basis from MEL, as summarized below. In addition, other places have had one-off service, such as 
Tokyo Narita Airport (NRT). An A380 flew from MEL to NRT on October 21, 2019, with all passengers using loyalty program points.
Qantas’ A380s flew from MEL to LHR between 2010 and 2018. Thereafter, the very long service switched to the 787-9, flying from MEL to the UK’s busiest airport via Perth International Airport (PER) on a one-stop, same-plane, same-flight-number basis. From July 2024, PER-LHR-PER flights did not begin or end in MEL.
The full routing would have returned in October 2026, but the ongoing war in Iran put paid to that. Until October 23, 2026, the operating 787 flies PER-SIN-LHR-PER. From October 24, it’ll fly PER-SIN-LHR-PER-MEL. From February 2027, it’ll return to MEL-PER-LHR-PER-MEL after a near three-year absence. Of course, things could easily change again.
Only Two A380 Users Will Remain In Melbourne
Once Qantas’ last scheduled A380 flight leaves MEL on October 24, Victoria will only have two double-decker operators: Emirates and Singapore Airlines. Of course, others flew the type there in the past, including China Southern, Etihad, Malaysia Airlines (briefly), and Qatar Airways.
Emirates will continue to have two daily A380 services to MEL, with the four-class, 484-seater scheduled. In the past, the airline had up to three daily superjumbo departures from MEL. One flight used the type on a nonstop basis back to DXB, one stopped en route in SIN, and another continued to 
Auckland Airport (AKL), flying DXB-MEL-AKL.
Then there’s Singapore Airlines. The Star Alliance member originally flew the double-decker from SIN to MEL between 2009 and 2020, with the equipment making an appearance in 2023. The type returned in March 2026 and continues to run daily.
