Has the Airbus A380 been written off too early by the aviation industry?
With factors like the impact of COVID-19, the environment has changed significantly
in recent years.
And when viewed with the benefit of hindsight, some of the decisions around the A380 may
not be as convincing as they once were…
There have been 251 A380s delivered to 14 customers.
243 of these are listed as 'still in operation.’.
Data from ch-aviation.com notes that 104 A380s are currently active, while 128 are inactive.
Another 11 have been scrapped, written off, or put on display.
The data lists seven of the original airlines as active users.
These are British Airways, China Southern Airlines, Emirates, Korean Air, Qantas, Qatar
Airways, and Singapore Airlines.
Those who are not using the A380 include Air France, Asiana, Malaysian Airlines, and Thai
Airways.
Japan’s ANA hopes to reactivate its A380s soon while Lufthansa is reportedly considering
a reactivation.
With 116 A380s in its fleet, including 74 on the active list, Emirates has never lost
faith in the aircraft.
From the sidelines of the IATA congress, the airline’s president Sir Tim Clark told reporters:
"Everybody's been struggling with capacity.
I've watched it all; people saying that the [A380] trend is over."
He recalled saying at the time that if you do that you will regret it.
"Now what happens is you are having to reactivate A380s," he added.
While some airlines were quick to retire the aircraft, others like Singapore Airlines and
Qantas kept the super-jumbo in their post-COVID plans.
Six of Qantas’ superjumbos have already been refurbished with new interiors and the
airline now has three back in service, with two more soon to return.
Similarly, Singapore Airlines brought two of its A380s back from the Australian desert
in July 2021.
Today the airline has ten A380s back in service.
The A380 economics were challenging - exacerbated by rising fuel costs, which made Boeing's
787 and 777X attractive options.
Airlines saw the Airbus A350, the Boeing 787, and Boeing 777X twinjets as better choices,
with direct point-to-point routes replacing hub and spoke models.
While they’ve been right for the most part, it seems like the A380 still has a place for
airlines who know how to use it correctly.
Today's surge in pent-up demand is proving that the A380 can perform well on long-haul
services, such as from Australia, Singapore, the UK and Dubai.
As for the choices, Boeing decided to put the 777X program on hold for a year, pushing
deliveries out to at least 2025.
Today it's still unable to deliver a new 787 to anxiously waiting airline customers.
Passengers love the comfort of the A380.
Quality airlines are refurbishing their cabins, and Emirates is introducing a stunning premium
economy onboard some of its superjumbos.
The decisions made on the A380 just a couple of years ago look somewhat shaky, particularly
in light of the industry’s current challenges.
Considering the u-turn made by Qatar Airways and a potential Lufthansa reactivation, do
you think that some airlines have written off the A380 too soon?
Let us know by leaving a comment.