FlyerTalk Forums - View Single Post - Qantas halts Project Sunrise, A380 upgrades
Old May 7, 2020, 8:18 am
  #10  
SW7London
 
Join Date: Oct 2005
Location: London
Posts: 717
Originally Posted by number_6
The A380 has 2 advantages for a post-Covid19 world which could make it more economical to operate. It has a lot of floor space, so could be configured for social distancing (e.g. selling only half of the Y/W/J seats. That could fit the space better than for B787/A330. The second advantage is cargo capacity. Value of cargo on pax flights could rise dramatically, particularly when few flights operate (I've heard that spot cargo rates have more than doubled in the past month). Freight has always been a lucrative business for QF, esp. in California (they still have air cargo buildings at SFO, which they kept even when there were no SFO flights by QF -- silicon valley freight was too lucrative).

So there are some scenarios that would keep the A380 in the fleet ... just not as before.
Is that really viable though? I agree A380 has more physical space however QF wont operate it only half full.? It'll surely lose more money than operating 787 half full.

(and I'm not sure how any airline will operate any fleet to accommodate full social distancing short of governments continuing to subsidize airlines - 50% or even 60% load factors they'll be out of business in no time!)

Good point re freight, although as the 787 has nearly has much capacity and a lot more economical I'm not sure the A380 is an attractive proposition. Combine with the points made earlier in this thread I think its time is coming to an end for QF
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