When Airbus announced plans to cease production of its A380 aircraft back in 2019, heartbroken
aviation fans found solace in the fact that the superjumbo wasn't set to stop flying anytime
soon.
Production on this much-loved aircraft was due to continue for another couple of years,
and plenty of airlines had active A380s in their fleet.
Want to know about it?
Well, stay tuned to the video And watch the video till the end.
Hello guys, Welcome to the Aviation Exclusive.
Hit the subscribe button and turn on the notifications to get new updates about Airbus and Boeing
and basically anything around Aviation.
Hit the like button to show your support.
And in today's video, we are going to talk about “The SAD status of the A380!”
So without any further ado, Let's begin.
But fast forward a year, and the A380's hefty size and steep operational costs had no place
in the pandemic's minimal, cost-efficient international flight schedules.
Singapore Airlines (SIA1) (SINGY), the world’s first airline to operate the Airbus A380 in
2007, announced on October 14, 2021, that it would be bringing back the A380 to its
network.
The A380 will make its return for SIA on the service to London.
Sir Tim Clark, the president of Emirates airlines, had intended to be in Hamburg to attend a
historic event — the last delivery of an Airbus A380.
It's the 251st from the series, and the last one ever built.
A total of 123 have been ordered by the carrier from Dubai.
Without all these orders, the program would have been shut down years ago.
The 72-year-old Clark, an industry legend, has not had it easy with his favorite aircraft.
Clark had reckoned early on that the world's biggest aircraft, with room for up to 615
passengers in the Emirates version, was tailor-made for its business model of connecting the entire
world — via Dubai.
Only later did Airbus and its engine manufacturers reject the idea to develop an improved version
with more efficient engines.
It's these four thirsty engines that made the A380 uneconomical for most operators long
ago.
A380 carries more passengers than any other aircraft while minimizing emissions and noise.
The A380 comprises 25% composites and advanced alloys which provides a significant weight
reduction versus the aircraft it replaced.
This weight efficiency together with more advanced systems than those of the aircraft
it replaced, enable the A380 to deliver 25% less fuel burn and CO2 per seat than its competitor.
All of the air in Airbus cabins is fully renewed about every 2-3 minutes.
The lowest number of passengers per temperature control zone of any aircraft flying today.
Emirates is known for its incredible Airbus A380 amenities, including the business class
bar and first-class shower.
For the past several weeks the business class bar has been closed due to the spread of the
omicron variant.
That will be changing once again shortly.
Even beyond those looking to be social, an A380 bar is a useful place to just grab a
drink mid-flight to take back to your seat, rather than pushing the flight attendant call
button.
The A380 — sometimes known as “The Whale” — is by far the largest jet in British Airways’
fleet.
These aircraft have the capacity to carry a whopping 469 passengers across their 2 levels.
The A380 also features first class.
While it’s not the latest version of BA’s first-class product, some of the airline’s
jets don’t feature the first-class cabin at all, such as its new Airbus A350s, the
-8 variant of its Boeing 787 Dreamliners, as well as some of its Boeing 777s.
The increased capacity doesn’t necessarily have an impact on passengers, other than maybe
taking longer to board and deplane.
The main problem with the Hi Fly Airbus A380 was its size, which was also a problem for
many other A380s.
This was also what made the aircraft so perfect for its handful of missions.
For example, following the collapse of Thomas Cook, the aircraft was drafted in as part
of Operation Matterhorn to repatriate hundreds of stranded passengers.
Hi Fly also operates smaller aircraft which would be preferred for fewer passengers.
Demand for the aircraft was almost exclusive to the peak summer months.
The aircraft saw lots of use in August and September 2018 and from April to October 2019.
Hi Fly did attempt to repurpose the aircraft as a freighter.
However, this didn't really lead to any more usage of the aircraft.
As a result of its challenges in filling the jet, the airline decided to return the aircraft
to its owner around a year ago.
One could argue that there would be a place for a wet lease A380 in a post-pandemic world.
However, it wouldn't be the type of use that Hi Fly envisioned for the jet.
Due to the sections' large size, traditional transportation methods proved unfeasible,
A380 components are provided by suppliers from around the world; the four largest contributors,
by value, are Rolls-Royce, Safran, United Technologies, and General Electric.
Qantas passengers flying between Melbourne and Los Angeles may get an unexpected upgrade.
The Australian airline is using its flagship Airbus A380s to operate the sector on certain
days of the month.
The spacious jumbo is a big step up from the smaller 787-9 Dreamliners which usually ply
the route.
Qantas had previously said passengers would need to wait until December to see the A380
back in Melbourne.
Qantas already has three of its A380-800s back in service and operating in the Sydney
- Los Angeles (LAX) sector.
Qantas has 12 of the jumbos but has decided to retire two of them and progressively return
the remaining ten jets.
“Our customers in Melbourne have told us they have really missed the Qantas A380, so
it’s fantastic that they’ll be back flying by the end of the year with our full premium
service on these newly refurbished aircraft,” says Qantas Group Chief Customer Officer Stephanie
Tully.
Back in Spring 2021, Qatar Airways CEO Akbar Al Baker told Simple Flying purchasing 10
A380s was the airline's "biggest mistake."
The Airbus A380 was designed for a very important mission – to kill off the legendary Boeing
747, the Jumbo Jet that had dominated the high capacity long haul market since it was
launched in 1969.
Such was its popularity that nothing quite came close to it.
McDonnell Douglas tried with the DC-10, then the MD-11 only to fail so badly that they
were eventually acquired by Boeing.
The Boeing 747 continued to dominate unconquered until Boeing’s very own 777 started to take
over that market with the massive -300 version.
But it wasn’t quite a Jumbo Jet.
The 5th generation of the 747, the 747-8i never quite found buyers except for freighters.
But while the A380 achieved its mission, the world changed around it.
Four engines lost popularity and two engines became more reliable, more efficient, and
therefore, more popular.
And to seal the A380’s fate, the much lighter composite aircraft was launched, first with
the Boeing 787 followed by an equally effective Airbus A350.
Suddenly, airlines did not need to fill big planes up to get lower operating costs per
seat.
The A380 achieved its mission of being the dominant Super Jumbo, but by then no one really
needed them.
It effectively is the last of the old generation aircraft and the best one.
The A380 is the greatest aircraft that should have never been made.
Lufthansa, the operator that introduced the 747-8 for passenger services, flies its units
in four classes.
It can fit up to 362 passengers throughout its first, business, premium economy, and
economy classes.
Now that we've come to the end of this video, I want to thank you for sticking with me,
and I'd love to know what you think of it.
Just comment down below.
Also, If you like this video, make sure you like it, and stay safe.
Today's video is over, but if you want to see more.
There's one on your screen right now, and there are a few more fun videos coming soon
about everyday Aviation technology.
I'll see you in the next video!