- Qantas used an Airbus A380 to replace three flights from Melbourne to Sydney on Friday.
- Severe storm warnings have been issued in Sydney, causing flight delays and cancellations.
- Qantas says demand for air travel was “incredibly high” during Taylor Swift's Australian tour.
Australia's Qantas Airways flew an Airbus A380 from Melbourne to Sydney on Friday to meet the huge demand for air travel during Taylor Swift's Elas tour.
The double-decker superjumbo, typically used for long-haul international flights, flew about 540 miles, the distance from Boston to Pittsburgh.
The 485 passengers were originally booked on three separate flights operated by narrow-body Boeing 737 aircraft.
However, Qantas said in a press release that flights to Sydney Airport were expected to be restricted due to the severe storm.
Qantas decided to operate a special flight to transport passengers, in part due to the “incredibly high demand” for flights into the city due to Swift's tour.
The airline said passengers on the A380 had originally booked a flight that arrived late in the day, indicating they would not be traveling for the concert.
However, so many people were traveling to see Swift that it was very difficult to find their seats on other flights.
More than 600,000 people watched Swift perform over four shows in Sydney and three more in Melbourne. Her last show is Monday night.
Qantas normally flies the giant jet only to destinations such as Los Angeles, London and Singapore, but one is also on standby.
Flight QF7168 had only been in the air for about an hour after departing late, according to Flightradar24 data. The next day, we arrived in Los Angeles after a 13-hour flight.
Swift's tour had a significant impact on the local economy. In Cardiff, Wales, where she is not scheduled to perform until June, her hotel room rates are already $230 more expensive than usual, according to analytics firm Lighthouse.
And in Warsaw, Poland, demand for short-term rentals is up 2,020% year-over-year, according to research from vacation rental data firm AirDNA.
