A Qantas Airbus A380 superjumbo traveling from Sydney to Johannesburg, South Africa, had to return to Sydney on Christmas day due to a mechanical issue.
Flight information
According to Flightradar24.com data, the airline's Airbus A380 was operating flight QF63 from Sydney Kingsford Smith International Airport (SYD) to Johannesburg OR Tambo International Airport (JNB) in South Africa when it was forced to return to SYD four and a half hours into the flight.
The reason for the diversion was a mechanical issue with the Airbus A380 . In a statement to Simple Flying, a Qantas spokesperson said:
"A flight from Sydney to Johannesburg returned to Sydney due to a mechanical issue. The pilots followed normal procedures and returned to Sydney for the aircraft to be checked by engineers."
Upon landing, the Airbus A380 was met by emergency services as a precaution, though their assistance was not required. The airline clarified that it was not an emergency landing, but the flight crew had requested a priority landing at Sydney Airport.
Passengers will be will be reaccommodated on a service tomorrow morning, according to the airline. It added:
"Customers will be provided with accommodation, transfers and meal vouchers and reaccommodated on a 7am flight tomorrow on a different aircraft. We want to thank them for their patience and understanding."
Notably, Qantas flight QF63 is one of the world's most southern flights, often flying over Antarctica. It is worth noting that the aircraft in question is Qantas' 15.4-year-old Airbus A380-800 double-decker, registered as VH-OQG. According to ch-aviation data, the aircraft clocked 51,242 flight hours and 4,508 flight cycles as of September 30, 2024.
Photo: A Periam Photography | Shutterstock
Additionally, the airline's A380 can accommodate a total of 485 passengers in a four-class cabin layout: 14 in first class, 70 in business class, 60 in premium economy, and 341 in economy class.
According to Flightradar24.com, before the SYD to JNB flight, the A380 had a flight from JNB to SYD on December 23, 2024. In addition to Qantas, two airlines currently operate at OR Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg, South Africa, on Airbus A380s. These airlines are British Airways and Emirates.
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The Australian flag carrier boasts a fleet of 10 Airbus A380s, supporting an extensive long-haul route network. These high-capacity, long-range flights connect to every continent except South America.
One of the longest routes served by Qantas Airbus A380s is between Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) and Sydney (SYD), and Melbourne (MEL).
Photo: Ryan Fletcher | Shutterstock
The Johannesburg (JNB) to Sydney (SYD) route is Qantas' sole Airbus A380 service to the African continent. It was announced in September 2024 that Qantas will operate its superjumbos to Johannesburg. Commenting on the deployment of the A380, Qantas International CEO Cam Wallace, said:
"We are seeing strong demand for our Johannesburg services and, by upgrading to the Superjumbo, we will nearly double capacity during peak periods, adding over 130,000 seats per year between the continents. Qantas has a rich history of flying to South Africa over the past 72 years, having operated Constellations and Super Constellations, Electras, 707s, 747s, Dreamliners and now the A380. The A380 is a favourite among our frequent flyers and it will be great to see the Flying Kangaroo in the land of the springbok."
Meanwhile, Qantas' shortest A380 flight is between Sydney (SYD) and Singapore Changi International Airport (SIN), covering a distance of merely 3,907 miles. However, it is worth noting that Qantas operations between SYD and SIN are a part of the larger Sydney-Singapore-London flights.
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