Qantas’s Airbus A380, which was brought back into service after nearly six years, encountered a series of technical issues during its first commercial flight. The aircraft, registered VH-OQC, was grounded in Los Angeles after the QF11 service on the Sydney–Los Angeles route due to damage detected on its left wing.
Long-Awaited Return After Six Years in Storage
Following years of storage in Victorville and Abu Dhabi throughout the first half of the decade, the A380 was brought to Sydney on 3 December with significant publicity. Qantas International CEO Cameron Wallace had announced that the aircraft would be used as an operational spare.
The QF11 flight on 7 December marked the aircraft’s first commercial service since 2020.
Cabin Failures Affected Passengers
During the flight, a major electrical outage occurred in the cabin. Passengers shared on social media that the inflight entertainment systems were not working, most cabin lights were off, seats could not be reclined, and some lavatories experienced overflow.
Qantas confirmed that the inflight entertainment system “was not working for most passengers.”
Wing Flap Damage Detected on Landing
During the approach into Los Angeles, damage was identified in the slat section of the A380’s left wing. Similar slat separations had previously occurred in the fleets of Emirates and Singapore Airlines.
A Qantas spokesperson stated that the aircraft landed normally and no emergency situation occurred.
The scheduled return flight, QF12, was cancelled and the aircraft was taken in for maintenance.
Known “Adhesion Issue” on Airbus A380s
According to a report published by Global Aerospace News in July, a bonding problem has been identified in many Airbus models, including the A380, within the honeycomb structure of the leading-edge slats, where separation can occur between the upper and lower layers.
Belgian manufacturer Sonaca stated that this was not a production defect but something that appeared in the post-production phase, while Airbus noted that it did not pose a safety risk and announced that it would issue service bulletins in early 2024 with increased inspection requirements.
Replacement Part on the Way
Qantas announced that the damaged slat component would arrive in Los Angeles within 24 hours, and that VH-OQC would return to service once engineers completed the replacement.
The airline operates a total of ten A380s on routes to Los Angeles, Dallas, Johannesburg, Singapore and London. VH-OQC was the last aircraft of the grounded fleet to return to service after the pandemic; the restoration process required more than 100,000 hours of maintenance and refurbishment.
Qantas stated that if the aircraft remains at LAX for a longer period, passengers would be contacted regarding rebooking and flight changes.
