The A380 has struggled to find its place in the modern world with
airlines looking to more efficient twinjets for their future fleets.
Airbus had hoped there would be a solid second-hand market for its A380 aircraft,
many of which are already retiring very young. But with the only used A380 operator, Hi Fly,
unable to make it work, is the second-hand market for the giant plane over?
When the A380 was conceived, hub and spoke operations reigned supreme, with airlines
looking to ferry large numbers of passengers great distances across the globe, funneling them through
hubs to connect on to their final destination. Things have changed a lot since then and point
to point travel with increased frequencies have become the
preferred model for both passengers and airlines. The severe downturn in passenger traffic of 2020,
coupled with the need for airlines to streamline and boost the efficiency of their operations,
means there are few places left for the A380 to turn.
Some airlines continue to operate the type. Emirates has little choice but to fly its giants,
at least for a few years yet. British Airways, operating out of slot controlled Heathrow,
still sees a future for the plane. But for others, the pandemic forced a premature end to the A380.
Airbus has always remained committed to a second-hand market for the A380.
It has said it would support airlines who take on these giant planes after their first
operator has finished with them. Despite this, only one A380 ever found a secondary home...
Now, news that Hi Fly is no longer able to work profitably with the giant could be seen as the
final nail in the coffin of a second-hand A380 market. It was, and remains to date, the only
airline to ever take up a used A380, and had been making good use of it until recently. When the
lease contract comes up for renewal, it will not be renewed, and 9H-MIP will likely be scrapped.
The airline said that the decision is a direct result of the pandemic.
At one point, Hi Fly had considered adding a second A380 to its fleet.
However, it will now look to the more efficient A330 widebody to fill its needs. If Hi Fly,
the only airline ever bold enough to take a second-hand A380, is unable to make the
aircraft work, what hope do we have for any second-hand market in the future?
In terms of second-hand A380s, there are unlikely to be many roles where it would work.
Earlier this year, Hi Fly adapted its A380 to carry cargo, and fulfilled a key role in supplying
PPE around the world in the fight against COVID. While its size can theoretically handle a high
volume of goods, there are several reasons why A380s can’t be repurposed for freight. All used
A380s are passenger aircraft, making loading and unloading of goods on upper decks inefficient
using doors meant for people. These passenger decks are also not built to support the weight
of potentially dense and heavy cargo. Finally, the a380’s size limits which airports it can access.
One place where the aircraft could make sense, however, would be in the mass pilgrimage
marketplace. Last year, Malaysia Airlines launched a new A380 airline exclusively for pilgrimages,
designed to move people from hub airports to holy sites on mass.
While these events could be somewhere that a bespoke airline could make an A380 work,
they are highly seasonal and not really a solid business plan as such. It’s likely the year-round
cost of owning an A380, even a second hand one, would outweigh the benefits of operating these
unique flights, and that a charter operation would be a better way to tackle this need.
Right now, it simply seems like there is no hope for a second-hand market for the A380...
Do you agree that the second-hand market for the A380 is dead?
Or do you think there is still hope? Let us know in the comments.