Qantas Airways, Australia’s biggest carrier, will resume Airbus SAS A380 services on Nov. 27, 23 days after grounding its fleet of superjumbos following a mid-flight engine explosion.

Chief Executive Officer Alan Joyce will be on the first flight, which will go to London from Sydney via Singapore, he said at a media briefing today. The carrier will conduct further inspections with Airbus, regulators and engine-maker Rolls-Royce Group Plc before resuming other routes, it said in a statement.

Qantas has begun modifying as many as 16 Trent 900 engines following the Nov. 4 blowout that caused the grounding of A380s representing about 17% of its international capacity. Demand to fly on the airline’s six superjumbos is likely to withstand the explosion, said Jason Teh, who helps manage A$3 billion ($3.9 billion) at Investors Mutual in Sydney.

“It’s like if there was a shark attack in the previous week — it wouldn’t stop me going into the water the following week as long the shark is caught,” he said. “You assume that all airlines will meet strict safety standards.”

The carrier will have four 450-seat A380s in service before Dec 25, including two new ones, Joyce said. The airline is also due to receive two superjumbos next year. Qantas had been flying its A380s on long-haul routes to Europe and North America.

‘It’s so quiet’
“If the airline has made the assessment that it’s time to fly, then I would be on that aircraft,” said Binit Somaia, an analyst at the Centre for Asia Pacific Aviation in Sydney. “I would rather fly the A380 anytime. It’s so quiet.”

The carrier has taken the 16 engines identified as having “a bigger likelihood of having a problem” out of service, Joyce said. Any necessary changes will be made before they are put back onto planes, he said.

Joyce said it is too early to estimate the cost of the disruption caused by grounding the A380s or to comment on whether the carrier will seek compensation.

Macquarie Group said in a note that the cost would likely be about A$20 million as Sydney-based Qantas “generally minimized the disruption.” The carrier used Boeing Co. 747s and other aircraft as substitutes while the A380s were grounded.

Qantas rose 0.4% to A$2.64 at the 4:10 p.m. market close in Sydney. The stock has lost 8% since Nov. 3. Rolls-Royce slumped 9.8% in London trading in the period.

Emergency landing
Qantas, which has never had a fatal jet accident, grounded its superjumbos after one of the four Trent 900 engines fitted to an A380 exploded in the skies above Indonesia. The plane made an emergency landing in Singapore, with the rear covering of an engine blown off and a wing damaged by shrapnel. None of the 466 people onboard were injured.

The blast, which Rolls-Royce said was caused by an oil fire, prompted the European Aviation Safety Agency to issue an airworthiness directive to A380 operators with Trent 900 engines requiring them to inspect turbines at regular intervals.

Singapore Airlines, with 11 Trent 900-powered A380s in its fleet, has replaced three engines. Deutsche Lufthansa AG, the only other Trent 900 operator, announced plans for its second swap last week. About 40 Trent 900s worldwide may need repairs to replace a faulty part, Qantas’s Joyce said Nov 18.

Emirates Airline, the largest customer for the A380, and Air France-KLM Group fly superjumbos fitted with engines from a General Electric Co. and Pratt & Whitney venture.

Rolls-Royce, the world’s second-largest maker of engines, has said it will miss its 2010 profit target because of the Trent 900 blowout.

Airbus, which is due to hand over more than 20 A380s next year, has said deliveries may be disrupted as it works with Rolls-Royce to help existing customers replace engines. The planemaker plans to press the London-based engine-maker for compensation.

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