Will Lufthansa retire A380?

Lufthansa is reactivating the Airbus A380 in response to the steep rise in customer demand and the delayed delivery of ordered aircraft. The airline expects to use the long-haul aircraft, which is popular with customers and crews, again from summer 2023.



People Also Ask

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.

MORE DETAILS

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.”

MORE DETAILS

Passengers on the inaugural flight were treated to A380-themed souvenirs, symbolizing just how big of a milestone this was for not just for the airline, but for the entire aviation industry: Airbus had announced in 2019 it would cease production on the model, delivering the last one in 2021.

MORE DETAILS

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.

MORE DETAILS

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.

MORE DETAILS

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.

MORE DETAILS

1 Emirates The 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.

MORE DETAILS

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.

MORE DETAILS

Qatar Airways also has an order for forty B777-9s, which it anticipates beginning delivery of from 2025. When the A380-800s do exit the Qatar Airways fleet, the B777-9s, with a planned two-cabin capacity of approximately 415 passengers, will be the largest passenger aircraft in the carrier's fleet.

MORE DETAILS

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.

MORE DETAILS

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.

MORE DETAILS

Lufthansa sold six A380s to Airbus. Then things went a little wrong.

MORE DETAILS

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.

MORE DETAILS

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.

MORE DETAILS

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.

MORE DETAILS

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.

MORE DETAILS

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.

MORE DETAILS

The future Despite 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.

MORE DETAILS