Etihad Airways' A380 superjumbos are finally back in the air, 40 months after the airline grounded the world's largest passenger plane due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
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Etihad A380 returns: On board airline's first superjumbo flight since Covid-19 pandemic. Etihad Airways' A380 superjumbos are finally back in the air, 40 months after the airline grounded the world's largest passenger plane due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
In late 2022, Etihad Airways announced that its Airbus A380s would be making a comeback. This is something that many of us were excited about, given what a joy it is to fly the A380! The plane will be reentering service shortly, so let's take a look at everything you need to know about this development.
The A380 production ended with the departure of former Airbus CEO Tom Enders due to a lack of demand; the company had 17 orders in the backlog. After Emirates cut its A380 order by 39 aircraft, leaving just 14 on the backlog, the final decision was reached to terminate production on the A380.
After being grounded for over three years, Lufthansa brought back some of its Airbus A380s as of the summer of 2023. The airline is planning on progressively bringing back more of these planes, and will eventually have all eight remaining A380s back in service.
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.
On 16 December 2021, Emirates received its 123rd A380, which was the 251st and last delivered by Airbus. The A380's estimated $25 billion development cost was not recouped by the time Airbus ended production.
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.
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.
Etihad First Officers are offered a fixed monthly pay of $7,000 (AED26,000) in addition to a flight duty allowance of $11 (AED40) per flying hour. Furthermore, First Officers are provided with meal allowances between $4 (AED12) and $7 (AED23) per hour during layovers, based on the destination.
A380 Return To Service | Etihad Airways - YouTube. The legend returns! Witness the highly anticipated return to service of our beloved A380 in its inaugural flight from Abu Dhabi to London, soaring through the skies with boundless excitement.
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.
No US-based airline ever ordered the Airbus A380. With production ending next year, none ever will. Why was it that the A380 never sold in America, and what does that tell us about the issues with the plane? Let's find out.
Sir Tim Clark, President Emirates Airline said: “The A380 is a truly special aircraft in so many ways. For Emirates, it gave us the opportunity to redefine the travel experience, efficiently serve demand at slot-constrained airports, and bolster our network growth.
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.
The A380 in AsiaAlong with China Southern, Malaysia Airlines and Thai Airways have retired their A380s, but the double-decker still has a presence in the region. All Nippon Airways (ANA), Asiana Airlines, Korean Air and Singapore Airlines continue to operate their A380s, with 33 Asian-operated A380s in service today.
The amortization of the original investment was not considered in this equation. Based on this information, we can assume that the Airbus A380 program never turned a profit when we consider the huge investment the aircraft manufacturer made to start the program.