I’m pretty sure you’re more than aware of the kind of huge fan base Taylor Swift commands. However, you’ll be surprised that Swiftie mania ended up overwhelming the Melbourne airport as it faced the busiest day since pre-pandemic because of the American singer-writer’s concerts in Australia. A severe storm predicted ahead of the concert in Sydney made things even more challenging. To tackle the deluge of Taylor Swift fans and impending storms that could disrupt flights, Australian national flag carrier Qantas rolled out its A380 Superjumbo. The carrier decided to deploy its largest aircraft on the short-haul route between Melbourne and Sydney to ensure that Swifties get to enjoy the concert without any trouble.
Taylor Swift’s Melbourne leg of the tour saw the attendance of 96,000 fans on each of the three nights in the Victorian capital. Recognizing the scale of the event and the number of passengers expected to fly to Sydney for the concert, Qantas decided to take the proactive measure of deploying the operational spare, which is usually reserved for international routes to destinations like London and Los Angeles. The massive commercial jet can accommodate up to 485 passengers, equivalent to almost three Boeing 737 flights that usually operate on this route. The passengers accommodated on the A380 were originally booked on three separate flights. The airline communicated with impacted customers about their new flight arrangements.
To cope with the insane rush of Taylor Swift fans, Qantas had to deploy its massive Airbus A380 aircraft to fly Swifties from Melbourne to Sydney.
