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The captain of flight QF32 has dubbed the Airbus A380 “the most extraordinary aircraft ever built”.
Speaking to Australian Aviation 15 years on from QF32, which saw an engine on board Qantas A380 VH-OQA explode shortly after take-off from Singapore, Captain Richard de Crespigny said that while the superjumbo is less efficient than it could be, it is nonetheless “critical” for carriers like Emirates.
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“There is nothing wrong with the A380, and if you take it hub to hub, it’s the only aircraft that will transfer passengers when you’re in a slot-limited airport or saturated airspace,” he said.
“Because of the engines and the wings, it’s about 10 per cent less efficient than the new jets, and fuel makes up 30 per cent of the cost of an airline, and that’s why some people question the A380. But apart from that 10 per cent, the A380 is the most extraordinary aircraft ever built.
“People will criticise the A380, perhaps, because if it’s not full, it’s an anchor, which is terrible – but if it’s full, there’s nothing that will touch it. I believe the most successful sector, where it makes the most money [for Qantas], is from Dallas to Sydney, and they’re blocking off 100 seats to do that.
“In other words, they’re not using all the seats – but even with the number of seats they have, which is probably 384, then 384 seats are still making a lot of money.”
According to de Crespigny, the wings and fuel tanks on the A380 are too large, creating drag, while the engines are less efficient than newer models, which has limited the aircraft’s success.
“If they had smaller wings, smaller fuel tanks, less drag, the A380 would absolutely blitz the market,” he said.
“Bearing in mind, too, that this is the last of the four-engine aircraft, because they’re difficult to design, and also they’re expensive to operate, so we’re now in the realm of two-engine aircraft.
“So, the A350 and the 777X, they’re the aircraft that will take us into the next generations of aviation, and they’re actually better fitted for the atmosphere.”
Qantas is set to retire its A380 fleet from FY2031–32 onwards. The Flying Kangaroo currently has 10 of the aircraft in service, with two – VH-OQE and VH-OQF – having been scrapped during COVID-19.
Its last A380, VH-OQC, returned to service this month, though was later grounded again for repairs following damage to its wing on a flight to Los Angeles.
Watch for Captain Richard de Crespigny’s appearance on the Australian Aviation Podcast.
