Qantas Airways has made changes to aircraft types operated on some international routes, in order to minimise disruptions following the grounding of its Airbus A380 fleet.
The Oneworld carrier's updated schedule will allow it to "accommodate customers on services across its entire
international network over the coming weeks, regardless of when A380 aircraft re-enter service", says the airline.
Qantas grounded its six A380s on 4 November, after a Rolls-Royce Trent 900 engine on an A380 suffered an uncontained failure shortly after take-off from Singapore's Changi Airport for Sydney.
Inspections on the engines on the airline's A380 fleet are being carried out.
"While Qantas is committed to bringing its A380s back into service as soon as possible, this contingency schedule has been designed to provide certainty for customers planning to travel in the near future," says the carrier.
The airline is operating Boeing 747s on long-haul routes previously operated with the A380s.
As a result, it has changed the aircraft types operated on other routes. A330s have replaced 747s on the airline's Sydney-Tokyo Narita and Sydney-Hong Kong flights, The carrier has also replaced A330s with 767s on its Perth-Singapore services.
"The Qantas group has a fleet of over 250 aircraft across domestic and international operations and all Qantas aircraft are being utilised to minimise schedule disruptions," says the airline, adding that it has also made "minor changes" to aircraft operating on domestic routes as a result.
Qantas operated 505 of 512 international scheduled services from 5 to 11 November following the A380 grounding, adds the carrier.
Source: Air Transport Intelligence news
