“We've developed the most passenger preferred aircraft in the world,” Airbus head of business analysis and market forecast Bob Lange says. So why has Airbus decided to kill it? The main reason the company will halt production of A380 after 12 years, from 2021, is the low number of planes sold.
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“While beloved by passengers for its spacious cabin, the A380 is more expensive to operate and maintain than newer, more fuel-efficient aircraft.” As fuel prices skyrocketed, twin-engine planes that could service the same routes became seen as a more cost- and environmentally-friendly choice, Birdsong says.
Behind the Unexpected Comeback of the Double-Decker Airbus A380 Plane. Airbus halted production of its superjumbo airlines in 2021, but they're returning to the skies.
The remaining nine aircraft were due to be phased out slowly, but when the pandemic hit, the airline took the plunge and retired the remaining nine almost immediately. Eight of the aircraft were placed into storage where, according to planespotters.net, they remain to this day.
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.
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.
The initial purchase price of an Airbus A380 can range from $300 million to $400 million depending on the model and specifications. This is the cost to purchase the aircraft in its current condition and does not include the cost of customization.
Following the resumption of Airbus A380 service by Lufthansa and Etihad Airways in June and July, respectively, there are now 10 carriers offering flights using the aircraft type in August 2023.
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.
The arrival of the A380 in 2007 was poorly timed. The price of jet fuel had begun to creep up, and by 2007 was floating at around $4 a gallon. This made airlines shy away from the expensive to operate four engine jets of the 80s and 90s, and to look instead to fuel efficiency as a major deciding factor.
The Airbus A380 can reach speeds of more than 1,000 kilometres per hour! Now the Boeing 787 Dreamliner (907 km/h) and Boeing 777 (905 km/h) aren't that fast, but still three times faster than a Formula 1 racing car. See below the speeds of the most common aircraft on Schiphol.
A380: Definitely more comfortable with better cabin pressure compared to others. I hated the extended take-off time as the plane is generally pushed to some gate far away at the airport. B777: I've flown with most B777 models and mostly flown with 300 ER which is a pretty good plane for long haul.
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.
Why the A380 was a big failure? The rapid demise of the Airbus A380 is a complex tale of missed connections, a changing market and, ultimately, a staggering lack of demand for the largest commercial airplane ever built. And, as a result, this giant of the skies could well be the last of its kind.
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.
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.