Qantas recently made headlines by reactivating its 10th and final Airbus A380 after a lengthy period of coronavirus-induced storage. The Australian flag carrier was forced to park its superjumbo fleet in 2020, and has slowly been bringing its double-decker quadjets back into service. However, the good news has since been marred by the 10th aircraft being grounded after its first post-storage revenue flight.
The aircraft in question re-entered service with a flight from Sydney Kingsford Smith (SYD) to 
Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), but, since arriving in Southern California three days ago, it has been unable to leave. This is due to part of its wing having peeled apart while on approach to LAX, with the dramatic scenes captured and publicized by a high-profile passenger, actor and host Lynn Gilmartin.
An Eventful Arrival In Los Angeles
The A380 in question bears the registration VH-OQC and the name ‘Paul McGinness,’ and, following its reactivation last week, its first revenue-earning flight was QF11 from Sydney to Los Angeles on December 7. According to Flightradar24, this service left Sydney at 6:18 pm local time, and, after crossing the International Date Line, reached LAX seven minutes ahead of schedule, at 12:23 pm the same day.
However, while its arrival at LAX was punctual, it was also rather more eventful than planned. According to the Daily Mail, Australian actor and TV host Lynn Gilmartin took to social media after landing to highlight the fact that “a chunk of the wing snapped off” on approach. This followed an in-flight power issue, which reportedly saw the jet’s TVs and seat recline systems not work. A Qantas spokesperson said that:
“A section of the slat on the left wing of one of our A380s was found to be damaged after landing in Los Angeles, Sunday local time. The aircraft operated normally and landed without incident.”
The Aircraft Has Remained On The Ground Ever Since
Gilmartin, who said that there were “no lights in most of the cabins” and that she “heard some toilets were overflowing,” was hesitant to publicize the incident due to her loyalty to Qantas. However, she shared a post on Instagram expressing that “it’s been so disappointing to watch the steep decline in customer service, and now safety.” Historically, Qantas has been known for its very strong safety record.
According to the Daily Mail, a spokesperson for Qantas confirmed that the Australian flag carrier has compensated passengers on Gilmartin’s flight for the lack of in-flight entertainment provision that arose as a result of the aforementioned power issue. They added that “after a part comes in from Dubai, [VH-OQC] will be in operation again on Thursday.” For now, however, the jet remains on the ground.
After the affected wing was inspected by engineers at Los Angeles International Airport following the aircraft’s eventful arrival from Sydney, historical tracking data made available by Flightradar24 shows that its return flight, QF12, was canceled. This service had been due to leave LAX at 9:25 pm on Sunday, December 7, with its arrival into Sydney set to take place 15 hours later, at 7:25 am on December 9.
Over 50 Passengers Missing: Qantas Boeing 737 Took Off With Incorrect Weight Calculations
The incident occurred on December 1, 2024.
A False Start After More Than Five Years Of Storage
These events will be a source of frustration for Qantas, which had worked hard to get its 10th and final Airbus A380 back in the skies after its lengthy COVID-era grounding. According to Planespotters.net, VH-OQC was taken out of service in March of 2020 as the impacts of the global health crisis became clear, and stored in Melbourne and Sydney before being moved to Victorville, California, in July of 2020
It stayed there for almost a year before being transferred to Los Angeles in May of 2021, before, a month later, being shipped to Abu Dhabi in June of 2021. This is where the jet stayed for more than four years before finally leaving at the end of last month. Aviation Source News notes that reactivating the dormant double-decker required over 100,000 hours of work, with its landing gear and seats being replaced.
