OQA scheduled to depart back to SYD tonight as QF6014.

Thanks Stirling for the information on OQA. Checking times, Flightaware is showing that QF6014 is scheduled to depart AUH at 21:10 AEDT and arrive in SYD at 10:31 AEDT.

QANTAS A380 OQA has just departed AUH as QF6014 and according to Flightaware has an estimated arrival time in SYD of 13:29 AEDT Saturday afternoon.

Also, another QANTAS A380 is scheduled to depart SYD as QF6015 at 12:10 AEDT on Saturday for AUH. Not sure which one it is but OQD and OQH are both due to arrive on Saturday morning as QF2 & QF12. Whichever one it is OQA will be back in service to replace it on either QF1 or QF11 as there will be no other A380s in SYD, unless they ferry up OQJ which is due to arrive in MEL as QF94.

According to Flightaware OQH is the QANTAS A380 scheduled to leave for AUH at 12:10pm today. I was thinking that OQD would be the one because OQH spent four and a half months in AUH having pre-service maintenance in 2022. OQD hasn't had a long period of maintenance since returning to service although it was in AUH being refurbished when COVID hit in 2020 and flew straight to LAX (not VCV) for storage. It also spent 5 weeks in SIN last year.

OQA's arrival time is now showing as 13:33 AEDT today.

I don't pretend to know anything about aircraft positioning when they come back into service but I would like to know-

If they wanted to put OQH into maintenance at AUH, why not run it to LHR as QF1. Then run OQA from AUH to LHR to operate the return QF2? Then run OQH empty to AUH for maint?

Seems a massive waste of fuel to fly OQA empty to SYD and then run OQH empty back to AUH a couple of hours later.

OQA was obviously ready to go straight into service because it left for LAX the same day it arrived in SYD.

Just curious why it was done this way? Only thing I can think of is maybe slots at LHR?

VH-OQA currently in LAX, having operated QF11 yesterday

If she is operating the QF12 back she (OQA) has been reconfigured going by the seat map

No Mark, the usual pattern on Thursdays and Saturdays in LAX is that the arriving QF11 turns around as the QF94. Therefore, OQA is returning to Oz as QF94 LAX-MEL-LAX and due to arrive in SYD next Wednesday as QF12, unless they keep her in the QF LAX maintenance facility for a few days for some minor tweaking to the new interior or something else. Yes, her interior was reconfigured while in AUH.

Yes, she is operating the 94 and seat map confirms the reconfig

717 update:
YQU registration cancelled 09/04/24
YQX departed Canberra 09/04/24 for Victorville