Citing capacity issues, Qatar Airways announced that it will bring back the Airbus A380 to fly high-demand routes.
Our A380 is back in the skies. ✈️
Coming soon: ???????????????? pic.twitter.com/LPDSBmEV2H
— Qatar Airways (@qatarairways) November 2, 2021
This morning, the A380 with registration A7-APG performed a repositioning flight from Dubai International Airport to Hamad International Airport.
Initially, the carrier announced that it will cover routes to the United Kingdom and France, starting in mid-December. It is unclear if it will be deployed to other popular and full capacity routes like the US, Frankfurt, or Sydney.
Qatar has recently grounded a portion of its Airbus A350 fleet citing fuselage «accelerated degradation issues», a situation that has affected its long-haul offer in a moment in which demand is recovering at a fast pace.
Akbar Al Baker, Qatar Airways CEO, said in October 2020 that he didn’t see the A380 coming back to active service «in the near future», but the market has changed significantly between that moment and this decision. The company keeps 2024 as a target for their retirement, but the A350 situation could change that timeframe.
