Qantas to fly A380 London to Sydney

[16th June 2008]

Australian airline Qantas will operate new flights from London Heathrow to Sydney and Heathrow to Singapore on the new Airbus A380 from next January.

The A380 superjumbo will be used on selected flights on the Sydney to Heathrow route departing on Tuesdays, Fridays and Saturdays from 16th January. The new plane will also be used on selected flights from Singapore to Heathrow from 16th January on the same days.

Qantas has today put on sale seats on the A380 ahead of its first flight using the new plane. This will depart on 20th October from Melbourne to Los Angeles. The airline's first A380 will operate two return services each week to Los Angeles - one from Melbourne and one from Sydney.

In November, when Qantas takes delivery of its second A380, the airline will run two return Melbourne to Los Angeles flights and three return Sydney to Los Angeles services.

Qantas is configuring its A380s with 450 seats - 14 First Suites, 72 Business class, 32 Premium Economy class, and 332 in Economy. "All four classes of the A380 will offer passengers greater levels of space and comfort, as well as state-of-the-art interiors designed by Qantas creative director Marc Newson," explains Qantas Group general manager sales and distribution, Rob Gurney.

The planes will have a fully-flat Skybed, dedicated lounge area in Business class, extra wide Recaro seats in Premium Economy, self-service refreshment bars in Economy, and an on demand entertainment system with over 1000 entertainment options.

"The A380 will also offer significant improvements in terms of environmental performance, including reduced fuel consumption and emissions, greater efficiency and less noise," says Gurney.

Written by: Nick Purdom