First of Qantas’ upgraded A380 aircraft takes off

Anupriya Bishnoi

The first of Qantas’ upgraded A380s welcomed its first passengers recently, delivering a new level of comfort. The multimillion-dollar upgrade of 12 aircraft includes new seating across expanded Business and Premium Economy cabins and a refresh of the aircraft’s First and Economy seating. The on-board lounge has also been redesigned.

Smarter use of space has created an all premium class upper deck (now occupied by Business and Premium Economy) and an expanded on-board lounge. There are now 30 fewer Economy seats and an increase in premium seating by 27 per cent.

Key elements of the upgrade include:

• The introduction of the Qantas Business Suite, replacing the previous Skybeds, in a 1:2:1 configuration that now gives aisle access to every passenger.
• The installation of the new Premium Economy seat (first debuted on the Qantas Dreamliner) and increasing the number of seats from 35 to 60.
• A larger on-board lounge space with seating for up to 10 Business and First passengers.
• An update to the 14 First Class Suites with new contoured cushioning, seat finishes and a larger, higher resolution entertainment screen.
• A new colour palette for the Economy cabin and improved in-flight entertainment.

The first reconfigured aircraft, VH-OQK, will operate as QF2 from London to Sydney via Singapore