Qantas Accelerates A380 Retirement, Adds
Qantas will retire its Airbus A380s in 2028 introduce business-class suites on Boeing 787-9s and equip 16 A321XLRs with lie-flat business seats with doors.
Qantas will begin retiring its remaining Airbus A380s in 2028, and it will launch new business-class suites on future Boeing 787-9 deliveries and on a sub-fleet of Airbus A321XLRs.
Qantas Accelerates A380 Retirement
Qantas announced that the phase-out of its 10 remaining A380s will start in 2028 and continue through about 2030, a shift roughly four years earlier than originally planned. CEO Vanessa Hudson said the economics of keeping the superjumbo flying are becoming increasingly challenging as the aircraft ages, noting that the A380s are now out of production and maintenance costs will rise over time.
The A380 carries 485 seats in total: 14 first-class, 70 business, 60 premium economy and 341 economy. By contrast, the Project Sunrise Airbus A350-1000ULR will seat 238 passengers: 6 first-class suites, 52 business suites, 40 premium economy and 140 economy.
| Aircraft | First-class | Business | Premium Economy | Economy |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| A380 | 14 | 70 | 60 | 341 |
| A350-1000ULR | 6 | 52 | 40 | 140 |
The reduction in capacity reflects Qantas’s strategy to move toward smaller, more fuel-efficient aircraft with a heavier emphasis on premium seating. The airline is also discussing converting around 20 existing Airbus and Boeing options into firm orders for additional A350s and 787s.
New 787 Business Class Suites
Starting in late 2027, Qantas will equip future 787-9 deliveries with an all-new business-class suite. The seat will feature a sliding privacy door, a fully-flat bed, a larger footwell, more personal storage, wireless charging, USB-C charging, updated inflight entertainment and fast, free Wi-Fi. The design reportedly draws inspiration from Western Australia’s Pilbara region.
Qantas says premium-cabin revenue is currently growing roughly twice as fast as economy-class revenue, which explains the focus on upgrading the business cabin. The airline’s current 787 business-class seat is described as “perfectly respectable” but no longer cutting-edge.
A321XLR Lie-Flat Business Class With Doors
Qantas will equip 16 of its A321XLRs with a dedicated long-range premium configuration beginning in 2028. The aircraft will carry 16 business-class suites in a 1-1 layout, each with a fully-flat bed, a sliding privacy door, a 19-inch entertainment screen, wireless charging, USB-C charging, personal storage and fast, free Wi-Fi.
These narrow-body aircraft could serve longer domestic routes to and from Perth as well as select international markets around Asia and the Pacific. Routes such as Brisbane-Manila or Melbourne-Phuket have been cited as examples, though Qantas has not yet announced the exact routes for the premium-configured XLRs.
Passenger Experience and Future Outlook
From a passenger-experience perspective, the new business-class suites look excellent, and a lie-flat bed with a door on an A321XLR is exactly the type of narrow-body product that many travellers want. The Project Sunrise A350 already appears to be one of the most thoughtfully configured aircraft entering service.
However, Qantas has concluded that 2028 is when the economics of the A380 will tilt decisively against the superjumbo. While the shift to smaller aircraft may raise ticket prices due to the large reduction in economy seats, it aligns with the airline’s commercial strategy.
For more details on Qantas’s fleet and upcoming changes, see the airline’s stats and fixtures.
