Now that the pandemic seems under control, the great queens of the sky are making a comeback. Etihad, Emirates, Lufthansa, Qantas, British Airways and other airlines, including new start-up Global, are putting the A380 back to work.
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Currently, the world's biggest international airline has on order 50 A350-900s, 30 787-9s and 115 Boeing 777Xs. The airline operates 119 A380s, 123 Boeing 777-300ERs and 10 Boeing 777-200LRs. The 777X aircraft will replace the A380s, while the A350s and 787s will eventually replace the 777s.
A total of 251 Airbus A380s were built and delivered for civil aviation. How many A380s are still flying? As of May 2023, about 130 A380s are in service - but several airlines plan to reactivate more aircraft during the year.
The four-engine A380 is only profitable with a high load factor, and only the world's largest airports have facilities to handle the aircraft. Such reasons led Lufthansa CEO to declare the craft “permanently decommissioned.” Just over 250 giant A380 aircraft were built before production ended in 2021.
For one, the Airbus A380 has almost double the space onboard compared to the Boeing 777 series, thanks to its second level. This means the airline can afford to be a little more abundant with its first class and business class offerings onboard the A380 compared to the Triple Seven.
In terms of capacity, it is abundantly clear that the A380 can carry significantly more passengers than any 787 variant. With 525 passengers in a standard, three-class configuration, the A380 has a sizeable advantage over the Boeing 787-10, which seats 323 passengers across three classes.
Since its introduction, the A380 has established a strong safety record and is regarded as one of the safest aircraft in the world. The aircraft has been involved in only two significant incidents since its introduction – a 2011 crash in France and a 2016 tyre burst incident in Australia.
The futureDespite great odds, the A380 is back in operation with many airlines that had previously written off the type from their fleet. This includes Qatar Airways, Lufthansa, and most recently, the Etihad A380 returned to service.
For some airlines, the A380 offered too much capacity, while for Emirates, the airline can't get enough of the plane. Unfortunately for Emirates (and us passengers), the days of the Airbus A380 are numbered. Airbus stopped A380 production in 2021, as there weren't sufficient orders to keep production going.
1 EmiratesThe airline took 123 Airbus A380s from Airbus, though seven are already listed as historic by ch-aviation, with 76 listed as active. The airline has over 60,000 seats installed across its Airbus A380 fleet, and in the single year of 2018, it scheduled over 61,000 flights.
For the summer 2023 schedule, Lufthansa is operating the Airbus A380 on the following two routes: Until October 27, 2023, daily on Munich (MUC) to Boston (BOS) — LH424/425. Until October 28, 2023, daily on Munich (MUC) to New York (JFK) — LH410/411.
Range and flexibility. Surprisingly, for all its size, the A380 can't go as far as the A350. The A350-1000 can travel more than 1,000 km (540 NM) further than the A380. Singapore Airlines has a special 'ultra-long-range' (ULR) A350-900, which operates on the longest route in the world, from Singapore to New York JFK.
For now, the upper limit for current and proposed aircraft seems to be around the 400-seat mark. Many current A380s are likely to be phased out over the next decade, if not sooner. As such, it seems very unlikely that we will see another aircraft of its size any time soon.
Improvement in twin enginesA major factor in the decline of the A380 has been the improvement in twin-engine aircraft. Of course, this has affected the A340 and the Boeing 747 as well. At the time of its design, four engines were still an advantage for long-haul over-water flights.
Airbus estimates that their A320 series aircraft have a lifespan of around 60,000 flight hours or 24,000 flight cycles. The A380 series aircraft have a lifespan of around 25 years or 60,000 flight hours.
Airbus A380 is not only the largest but also one of the most reliable in terms of safety. It is an aviation safety-focused aircraft that has never experienced a fatal crash.
In terms of capacity, it is abundantly clear that the A380 can carry significantly more passengers than any 787 variant. With 525 passengers in a standard, three-class configuration, the A380 has a sizeable advantage over the Boeing 787-10, which seats 323 passengers across three classes.
The PilotsFor those looking after the safety of everyone on board, the A380 is generally well-loved. “The A380 is a pleasure to operate,” said Nigel, a captain for a European airline. “Handling is similar to the A320, with the 380 being a little more sensitive in pitch. It's very nimble despite its size!”
It is no surprise that Emirates leads the way with 88 active A380s, or 68% of active aircraft. British Airways has returned its entire fleet of 12 A380s to service, Singapore is operating 10, while Qatar has brought back 8.