Qantas recently announced the deployment of the A380 on flights between Sydney (SYD) and Johannesburg (JNB) effective 7 July 2024. The move surprised many observers who perceived it as a significant upgrade from the B789-9, with the 485 seat A380 carrying significantly more passengers than the 236 seat B787-9. While it is a significant increase in gauge this analysis shows that when combined with Qantas’s careful capacity management and the indefinite absence of South African Airways (SAA) from Australia, the net increase in capacity is limited, and may even result in a net reduction in capacity. This analysis considers the history of routes between Australia and South Africa, analysing capacity, gauge, network as well as important competitive and strategic considerations.