Qantas Ends This 16-Hour Nonstop Airbus A380 Route In 1 Month: See Affected Flights Now

Published Sep 18, 2026, 12:00 AM EDT Journalist – Aaron is an aviation and travel journalist with 14 years of experience in the travel and tourism industry. His background spans airport operations, aviation infrastructure, and travel consulting, having worked with global organizations across New Zealand, Europe, and North America. Combining industry expertise with firsthand travel experience across more than 52 countries and five continents, Aaron covers airlines, airports, aviation policy, and the wider travel sector. He is based in Canterbury, New Zealand. His work has been published in Simple Flying and featured by MSN, SAM CHUI Aviation & Travel, EIN News, Pakistan Defence, and Climate Depot. Australian flag carrier Qantas has plans to axe its Airbus A380 service to Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) from Melbourne Airport (MEL) this coming October 22, as the airline opts to deploy the Boeing 787-9 on the route instead. This will leave the United States with just A380 services from the airline's home of Sydney Kingsford Smith Airport (SYD). The Melbourne to Los Angeles city pair is currently the second-longest A380 service in the carrier's network, after Sydney to Dallas/Fort Worth (DFW). The Melbourne route is the fifth-longest A380 overall globally. Qantas Changes To The Boeing 787-9 To Los Angeles Credit: Karolis Kavolelis | Shutterstock Melbourne is an important market for Qantas, and the airline's second-largest base after Sydney. The airport itself handled more than 36 million passengers in 2025, making it the second busiest airport in the country. Qantas has a handful of long-haul international flights from Melbourne, including Dallas/Fort Worth, Denpasar, Hong Kong, Jakarta, London Heathrow (via Perth), Los Angeles, Singapore and Tokyo Narita. It has seasonal services to Delhi during the Southern Hemisphere summer season. Loading map… Drag to explore From October 25, Qantas will switch the Airbus A380 to deploy elsewhere, while establishing the 787-9 on the route to Los Angeles; this flight will operate daily: Flight Number Frequency Dep. Airport Dep. Time Arr. Airport Arr. Time Aircraft QF93 1x Daily Melbourne (MEL) 11:15 PM Los Angeles (LAX) 6:40 PM Boeing 787-9 QF94 1x Daily Los Angeles (LAX) 10:50 PM Melbourne (MEL) 9:30 AM + 2 Days Boeing 787-9 A Look Back At Passenger Numbers Credit: A Periam Photography | Shutterstock Looking at data from the United States Department of Transportation (US DOT), the oneworld carrier has otherwise maintained healthy load factors of an average of 80% across the last four years. Despite subdued demand in the wake of COVID-19, the airline has carried more than 120,000 passengers in 2022, 138,000 in 2023, and more than 172,000 in both 2024 and 2025 (total two ways). Qantas maintains nonstop flights to the City of Angels from all three of its Australian east-coast hubs, Brisbane, Sydney, and Melbourne, and sees direct competition on the route from Melbourne from United Airlines. A snapshot of all Australian flights from LAX below: Airline Destination In Australia Brisbane (BNE) Delta Air Lines (seasonal) Qantas Melbourne (MEL) Qantas United Airlines Sydney (SYD) American Airlines Delta Air Lines Qantas United Airlines Qantas' decision to remove the A380 between Melbourne and Los Angeles is due to lower economy-class demand, that sees the double-decker as not suitable for the current market. The softened economy demand, while Premium and Business remain steady, sees the Dreamliner as a suitable replacement on the route. Where Else Will Qantas Fly The Airbus A380? Credit: Tom Jukes | Shutterstock Qantas has plans to ultimately retire the Airbus A380 fleet, with withdrawals planned from 2028. The airline has ten of the superjumbos in operation, and the oneworld carrier is the only operator of the type in the Southern Hemisphere. As Qantas removes the A380 from Melbourne, it will deploy the aircraft on its four remaining routes, with the type that include Sydney to London Heathrow (LHR), which transits via Singapore (SIN), which is arguably one of its most high-profile routes. Other routes include Sydney to Los Angeles and Dallas, and Sydney to Johannesburg Airport (JNB), the only A380 nonstop flight that remains within the Southern Hemisphere. The Qantas A380 is the only aircraft in the airline's current fleet with First Class; however, this will change with the delivery of the hotly anticipated Airbus A350-1000ULR as part of its Project Sunrise initiative to connect Sydney to London and New York nonstop.