Ten years ago this week, Qantas became the third airline to take delivery of the Airbus A380. In recognition of this milestone, Australian Aviation takes a look back at the history of the world's largest passenger aircraft in Qantas colours and contemplates its future with the Flying Kangaroo.

“Profound” is how Captain Richard Champion de Crespigny described the significance of A380 VH-OQA Nancy-Bird Walton’s return to the Qantas fleet. Qantas’s first Airbus A380 and hence the symbolic flagship of the airline’s fleet, VH-OQA returned safely to Singapore under Captain de Crespigny’s command after an uncontained explosive failure of its number two Rolls-Royce Trent