There’s no denying it anymore: the glory days of Airbus’ double-decker A380 passenger
aircraft are sadly over.
While the behemoth will likely continue to soar in the coming years, it will be in ever-dwindling
numbers as airlines move on to more efficient jets.
Want to know about it?
Well, stay tuned to the video And watch the video till the end.
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And in today's video, we are going to discuss “The SAD Future Of Airbus A380 Revealed!”
So without any further ado, Let's begin.
Emirates operates more Airbus A380 aircraft, the world's largest passenger plane, than
any other airline.
The A380 can carry up to 853 passengers (depending on the seat configuration), with its massive
double-deck layout providing Emirates with ample space for not only seats but also onboard
amenities like showers and a lounge.
The aircraft is equipped with four 70,000lb thrust engines, either the Rolls-Royce Trent
900 or the General Electric / Pratt & Whitney Engine Alliance GP7200.
The A380 received joint European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) and Federal Aviation
Administration (FAA) Type Certification on 12 December 2006.
In January 2007, Airbus became the first company to receive ISO 14001 environmental certification
for its products.
In March 2007, one A380 test aircraft flew to New York and one to Los Angeles, the first
transatlantic flights of the A380.
In February 2012, the EASA ordered checks for possible cracks inside the aircraft’s
wings on the entire global fleet of Airbus A380 superjumbo jets, under its second airworthiness
directive.
Aircraft which completed 1,216 to 1,384 flights were ordered for inspection.
The EASA has also expressed concerns over the safety of aluminum rivets in the fuselage
and suggested replacing them with titanium fasteners.
The A380 has twin-aisle cabins on the upper and lower decks, with 49% more floor space
for a 35% greater seating capacity.
A three-class layout provides 555 seats.
A typical upper deck layout provides 96 business and 103 economy-class seats.
The main deck provides 22 first-class seats and 334 economy-class seats.
Two stairwells link the passenger decks.
A lifting system between passenger decks provides access for passengers with limited mobility.
There is also a cargo hoist linking the two passenger decks.
The size of the A380 makes possible a number of configurations and passenger facilities.
Singapore Airlines (launch customer) has a configuration for 471 passengers, 12 first-class
‘suites’ and 311 economy seats on the main deck, 60 business class seats, and 88
economy seats on the upper deck.
There are eight full-size doors on either side of the aircraft.
On both sides, there are two doors on the main deck and one door on the upper deck forward
of the wing, which can be used simultaneously for embarking or disembarking passengers.
For speedy baggage transfers, two hold loading belts, one at the forward end and one at the
rear end under the fuselage, can be used simultaneously.
Matsushita Avionics Systems was selected to supply its next-generation eX2 in-flight entertainment
system.
In 2017, Singapore Airlines became the first carrier to retire an Airbus A380.
It came just ten years after the airline operated the inaugural Airbus A380 flight from Singapore
to Sydney on 25 October 2007.
Then in its November 2020 half-year results update, the airline revealed it would be trimming
seven more Airbus A380s from its roster (along with a number of Boeing 777-200s and 777-300s).
2020 has seen even more jets being steadily retired.
Air France confirmed it will completely phase out its 9-strong A380 fleet and Lufthansa
is tipped to do the same with its fleet of 8 jets, according to a confidential source
at Bloomberg.
In October 2020, Emirates retired its first Airbus A380 after 12 years in the sky.
This means that out of the 14 commercial A380 carriers, four have now retired a part (or
all) of its superjumbo fleet as of November 2020.
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.
Instead, it was announced in 2019 that production ended in 2021.
But the 72-year-old Clark, an industry legend, has not had it easy with his favorite aircraft.
Nobody believed as steadfastly in the A380 as he.
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.
Initially, he even went so far as to get cabin mock-ups, constructed at the airline's own
expense, to show Airbus that it was possible to install two showers in the front of the
upper deck, exactly where he wanted them.
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.
The large fuselage area of the Airbus A380 presents additional options in terms of the
placement of the hydrogen engine being tested.
The addition of the second deck essentially doubles the amount of fuselage available to
attach the engine too.
When smaller engines are tested on a Boeing 747, they are typically attached to a strut
on the upper deck.
This positions them out of the way of any possible interference, such as the exhausts
of the aircraft's main engines.
On the A380, Airbus has chosen to place the test engine towards the rear of the plane
on the left if you look at it from the back.
The aircraft is also attached to the plane in line with the top of the plane, placing
it well clear of any interference.
The A380 is the quietest widebody jetliner flying today.
The first class includes 14 private suites, all on the upper deck on the A380.
Seats recline to full-flat beds and include electronically operated sliding screen doors
for privacy.
First-class passengers will also find a vanity table with drawers, an illuminated mirror,
a personal wardrobe, a personal mini-bar, and a dining table for in-flight meals.
There are two shower spas in the first-class cabin with walnut and marble interiors.
Outside, customers will find a waterfall.
Emirates was the first airline to buy an A380, which is also operated by Singapore Airlines,
Qantas, Air France, Lufthansa, Korean Air, China Southern Airlines, Malaysia Airlines,
Thai Airways International, British Airways, Asiana Airlines, Qatar Airways, and Etihad
Airways.
If there’s one airline that is instantly synonymous with the Airbus A380, it's the
Gulf carrier Emirates.
The retirement of its first A380 is not due to COVID-19 and was planned well before the
pandemic.
Taking into account the one retirement, Emirates still has 114 superjumbos with another final
8 on order.
The A380 makes up about 45% of its total fleet and it has an entire concourse at Terminal
3 dedicated to Emirates’ (and previously, Qantas’) double-decker jets in Dubai.
On the other end of the spectrum, Japanese airline All Nippon Airways might also be one
of the last hold-outs as a new Airbus A380 operator.
ANA currently owns two factory-fresh A380s, the first of which only entered its fleet
in March 2019.
Most of the 14 commercial A380 operators will likely keep the jets mothballed for the next
few years unless travel demand unexpectedly picks up.
By 2030, we can expect many more A380 airframes to be retired without much hope for a second
wind.
It’s safe to say that Emirates will continue to be the stalwart A380 operator for the foreseeable
future by sheer virtue of the fact that superjumbo makes up almost half its fleet.
The freighter version of the Airbus A380-F never took off with numerous production issues
along the way.
The A380’s size was also an impediment the smaller Boeing 747-8F was more fuel-efficient
with a similar payload but at the cost of reduced range.
With A380 production stopped, it’s almost all but certain that we won’t be seeing
any more of these double-decker mammoths gliding through our skies on commercial passenger
flights after the next decade.
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