Journalist – Aaron is an aviation and travel journalist with 14 years of experience in the travel and tourism industry. His background spans airport operations, aviation infrastructure, and travel consulting, having worked with global organizations across New Zealand, Europe, and North America. Combining industry expertise with firsthand travel experience across more than 52 countries and five continents, Aaron covers airlines, airports, aviation policy, and the wider travel sector. He is based in Canterbury, New Zealand. His work has been published in Simple Flying and featured by MSN, SAM CHUI Aviation & Travel, EIN News, Pakistan Defence, and Climate Depot.
Australian flag carrier Qantas is set to shelve its Airbus A380 from Melbourne Airport (MEL) to Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) this coming October, seeing the aircraft replaced with the Boeing 787-9. This will be a sad farewell to the double-decker on the route, which will now see the airline only operating the aircraft type to Singapore Changi Airport (SIN) and London Heathrow Airport (LHR).
Data from Cirium, an online aviation analytics company, identifies that this year will mark the highest number of A380 departures from Melbourne since the COVID-19 pandemic. For the 2026 calendar year, a total of 1,017 departures are scheduled with Qantas, Emirates and Singapore the only operators.
Replacing The Airbus A380 With The Boeing 787-9 From Melbourne To Los Angeles
Qantas is expected to suspend A380 operations from Melbourne to Los Angeles from October 24. This comes as Qantas records a total of 85 nonstop A380 flights from Melbourne this year, still relatively low when compared to pre-pandemic levels. Last year, QF recorded a total of 115 total, and 105 the year prior.
The red and white painted planes will continue to operate at Melbourne on other key routes for Qantas, including its nonstop service to Singapore and onwards to London Heathrow. Historically, the carrier has also operated the type on services to Dubai International Airport (DXB), and one-off flights to Tokyo Narita Airport (NRT) and New York JFK Airport (JFK).
Below is a snapshot of the airline’s A380 operations from Melbourne over the last ten years:
Total Number Of Qantas A380 Departures From Melbourne
A Look At All A380 Operations At Australia’s Second Busiest Airport
While Qantas, Singapore Airlines and Emirates will remain the only operators at Melbourne of the iconic double-decker, the airport has welcomed several other operators with the type over the years. China Southern, Etihad Airways, Malaysia Airlines and Qatar Airways all operated this aircraft type to Melbourne, before either retiring the aircraft type or making operational adjustments to other aircraft.
This year, Melbourne will see more than 1,000 A380 flights from Melbourne, the first time it has reached quadruple figures since the COVID-19 Pandemic. Since COVID, the airport has seen a gradual increase in A380 services to Melbourne, as detailed below:
Total Number Of All A380 Departures From Melbourne
Despite Qantas’ exit from the A380 on the LAX route, this still sees the airport record the highest level of this aircraft type’s operation since 2020. Remaining scheduled services with the A380 from Melbourne will be as below:
Over 60% of flights were on three routes that are no longer served or will end soon. Discover them all here!
Qantas operates a fleet of ten A380, all configured the same to carry a total of 485 passengers across four classes of service (14 first class, 70 business, 60 premium economy, and 341 in economy). Last year, Qantas celebrated the full return of its A380 fleet after an extensive fleet renewal as it welcomed these planes back to regular operations. Below is the full list of QF A380 as per ch-aviation:
For the Australian airline, its decision to replace the A380 with the 787 on its flights to Melbourne will be to lower its overall operating costs to the Californian city, while redeploying the superjumbo on services to Singapore. The final flight is set for October 24, with the route then being operated exclusively with the 787 from the next day. Existing A380 services from Sydney to the United States remain unaffected.
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