Originally Posted by
lost_in_translation
Australian routes also used to get the A380 for EY because Australia heavily restricts slot access in many cases so difficult for airlines to grow passenger numbers otherwise. Assume part of Perth getting the nod is also because it’s shorter than MEL/BNE and so helps with utilisation too.
- PER is closer to DOH, the flight is shorter than from other Australian cities, which makes DOH more attractive as a gateway to Europe compared to the way it looks from MEL/SYD when you consider SIN/KUL/BKK/...
- the flight to/from PER being shorter also makes it more feasible in terms of utilisation (add a few extra hours each way and it may pose a challenge for MEL)
- 2 flights to PER is more complicated for QR (more crew is required, for one), so using one larger plane makes sense
- I don't suppose there is a huge demand for F to/from PER, but there is a lot of mining in WA, so what do I know? I do think the use of an A380 is not justified by F but by other factors, like the ones I've listed above