iscover
Qantas passengers have arrived home after three days stuck in Johannesburg following a maintenance issue on an A380 aircraft.
A recovery flight, QF7064, operated by VH-OQL, landed in Sydney at 5pm on Thursday after the cancellation of flight QF64 on Monday 10 August, sparked by problems with the nosewheel on VH-OQB (pictured) that required further maintenance.
This content is available exclusively to Australian Aviation members.
A monthly membership is only $5.99 or save with our annual plans.
- Australian Aviation quarterly print & digital magazines
- Access to In Focus reports every month on our website
- Unlimited access to all Australian Aviation digital content
- Access to the Australian Aviation app
- Australian Aviation quarterly print & digital magazines
- Access to In Focus reports every month on our website
- Access to our Behind the Lens photo galleries and other exclusive content
- Daily news updates via our email bulletin
- Unlimited access to all Australian Aviation digital content
- Access to the Australian Aviation app
- Australian Aviation quarterly print & digital magazines
- Access to In Focus reports every month on our website
- Access to our Behind the Lens photo galleries and other exclusive content
- Daily news updates via our email bulletin
Flight QF64 had returned to the gate shortly after departure, with engineers needing to fly in parts from overseas to correct the issue, leading to the extended delay; VH-OQL was subsequently sourced as a replacement aircraft.
Passengers were refunded their fares for the Johannesburg-Sydney sector and offered Uber transportation from Sydney Airport, as well as their choice of a $200 AUD voucher or 20,000 Qantas points as compensation for the delay.
“On behalf of everyone at Qantas, we sincerely apologise for the significant disruption to your travel plans this week from Johannesburg,” the airline said in an email to passengers seen by the ABC.
“Thank you for your patience and understanding throughout what we know was an exceptionally difficult experience.”
The Flying Kangaroo earlier this year had to pull another A380, VH-OQI, from service for urgent maintenance inspections due to potential wing cracking issues; the same A380 had been discovered in 2024 to have flown for almost 300 hours with a tool left inside its engine.
Qantas returned the last of its operational A380s, VH-OQC, to service in December, though the aircraft had to undergo repairs after a wing slat peeled off in mid-air on its first commercial flight following its return.
Qantas is the only Australian airline to operate the A380, and plans to retire the aircraft type in the 2030s, with rumours it is investigating more 787s and A350s as potential replacements.
“We’re in regular contact with aircraft manufacturers as part of our ongoing fleet planning and always update the market when we have something to announce. We currently have no updates or orders to announce,” a Qantas spokesperson told Reuters earlier this year.
10 of Qantas’ A380s, VH-OQA, VH-OQB, VH-OQC, VH-OQD, VH-OQG, VH-OQH, VH-OQI, VH-OQJ, VH-OQK, and VH-OQL, were returned to service after being placed in long-term storage during COVID-19, while VH-OQE and VH-OQF were scrapped.
Want to see more stories from trusted news sources?
Make Australian Aviation a preferred news source on Google.
Click here to add Australian Aviation as a preferred news source.
