Hundreds of delayed Qantas passengers stranded in Dubai on New Year's Eve are expected to make their way back to Australia within 24 hours.
The 480 passengers have been being put up in hotels as engineers in Dubai continue to work on the A380 aircraft that had been bound for Sydney.
In a statement at 11pm (AEDT) on Saturday, Qantas said it was expected all the delayed passengers would be on alternative Qantas services or other airlines back to Australia within 24 hours.
The airline said passengers would continue to be put up in hotels at Qantas expense until they could be booked on another flight.
"The ability to put passengers on other services has been complicated by the time of year, because most flights are already full with holiday travellers," Qantas said.
The airline said engineers in Dubai are still working on the A380 that was due to operate the Dubai to Sydney route and Qantas is consulting Airbus on the issue.
The airline said it would not fly the aircraft until it was confident it was safe to return to service.
"We're very conscious of the impact this extended delay is having on passengers and apologise for the inconvenience and frustration caused, particularly over New Year's," it said.
