Qantas puts superjumbos back in air

Chief executive Alan Joyce said the decision to put the six Airbus A380s back into service followed the completion of engine safety checks since a severe failure over Indonesia earlier this month.

Mr Joyce said Qantas was now "completely comfortable now with the operation of the aircraft" and the first resumed flight would be at the weekend.

The scare prompted a global safety review of Rolls-Royce engines on 20 of the world's largest and newest jetliners across three airlines.

An investigation is still under way into the cause of the disintegration of the engine as the plane took off from Singapore on November 4. Officials have indicated a fire caused by leaking oil was the likely cause of the incident.

Earlier this year, Qantas was voted the seventh best airline in the world by research consultancy firm Skytrax, a drop from 2009 (sixth) and 2008 (third).