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Qantas won’t take eight Airbus A380’s that it has had on order since 2006.

The Australian carrier had previously stated its intention not to take delivery of the aircraft, but now has formalized that decision.

“These aircraft have not been part of the airline’s fleet and network plans for some time,” the company said in a statement. “Qantas remains committed to a major upgrade of its existing A380s, which begins in mid-calendar 2019 and will see us operate the aircraft well into the future.”

Qantas has 12 A380s in its fleet.

The formal decision comes as the viability of the A380 program is in doubt.

Airbus is currently in discussions with Emirates about the carrier’s 2018 order of 20 A380s. That order was the only one Airbus received for the A380 in 2017 and 2018.

When Emirates made the order last February, it was viewed as a lifeline for the continued production of the A380.

Source: travelweekly.com