I was speaking to a QF pilot the other week about their commitment to the A380. He told me that whilst QF only have 12 A380s with 2 on order, they are struggling on some routes with (recurring) technical problems on certain frames. Just this week QF2 DXB-SYD had to be flown as EK2666 on EK metal after 2 days of unresolved issues. He says that a lot of his colleagues can't wait to get onto the 787!

On the other hand, the investment by EK in A380 maintenance on the ground is remarkable. I've not heard if they have similar issues with reliability.