Speculation that Qantas may follow Singapore Airlines' lead and exercise options on more A380 aircraft has been fuelled by the visit of a senior Airbus official to Sydney.

Qantas has firm orders for 12 of the double-decker A380s, with options for 10 more, and should receive the first in October next year.

Singapore had ordered 10 A380s, but recently converted nine options to firm orders, saying the aircraft was measuring up well to its technical specifications, and Airbus had demonstrated that the plane's engineering was sound.

This was despite production problems that had delayed the first delivery by up to a year.

Qantas is considering expanding its freight operations as a way of offsetting slumps in passenger traffic and promoting earnings growth. Chief financial officer Peter Gregg told an aviation conference the airline could look at a fleet of international freighters, and referred to the Boeing 747 as an ideal aircraft.

A380 marketing director Richard Carcaillet hit town this week to convince Qantas that the European manufacturer's A380 freighter is a better proposition with lower operating costs and a bigger potential. Asked yesterday whether Qantas would follow Singapore's lead, Mr Carcaillet said he could not comment on specific customers. But he said he was not surprised that Singapore converted its options.

"None of these airlines have ordered 10 aircraft - or 12 aircraft in the case of Qantas - thinking 'That's just what I need.'

"Of course they have big ... aircraft fleets of 747s today and they will have larger A380s fleets as well. And in a number of cases, we are absolutely confident that, starting today with Singapore, we will see major A380 customers increase their commitment."

Mr Carcaillet said the Singapore decision to boost its fleet before the aircraft entered service was a clear vote of confidence in the A380. "The aircraft is meeting all its guarantees," he said. "The airlines not only know that, they have all the figures and facts on the table."

But he could not say if Airbus would meet a commitment to deliver its first A380, to be used initially on Singapore-Sydney, to Singapore by the end of the year. He pointed to Airbus statements that a review under new CEO Christian Streiff would analyse what went wrong and provide a revised schedule of deliveries.