While Etihad Group CEO Tony Douglas has left a tiny window of possibility for
the A380 to be reactivated with his airline, he has also been saying for months that the
type was not commercially feasible. During a late-August interview with Simple Flying,
Douglas laid out his reasons for why the superjumbo should be put to rest for good
As part of our ongoing “Future Flying” series, Simple Flying was honored to have a chance to
speak with Etihad Group CEO Tony Douglas at the end of August. During the discussion about the
status of his airline, the group chief was asked about his fleet of A380 superjumbos.
Etihad has (or had) 10 of these aircraft in its fleet, with all of them now sitting in long-term
storage across two sites in France and Spain. While Planespotters.net has now moved these 10
aircraft to the quote-unquote “Historic” column, Douglas acknowledged that there was still a very
slim chance that the jet could return home to Abu Dhabi and go back into active service.
At the same time, during the interview, Douglas laid out
his reasons for keeping the A380s grounded. “The simple reality is: anything with more
than two engines simply doesn’t work. It hasn’t [worked] for almost half a
generation now – and it certainly doesn’t anymore, because the cost of operation,
the fuel burn, is simply no longer competitive or even close to being competitive.
And in particular when you've got a fleet sizes, we did have only 10 aircraft. So I think the
other operator you refer to has the biggest fleet in the world. So there are some benefits
of having a fleet of that scale.” Douglas goes on to say that,
in addition to having two engines too many, the A380’s existing engines are a generation behind.
This is especially the case when compared to the most modern of powerplants that are fitted
on to newer and more efficient twinjets today. “…the aircraft is handicapped by two engines
too many, and also a generation of engine design, which is way behind
the modern era engines that power today, the likes of 787 and A350 in particular.”
Outside of interviews, Etihad as an airline has removed the A380 from its website
completely. While this is far from an “official announcement,” it’s a symbolic gesture that
will properly set customer expectations for an aircraft other than the A380.
In discussing why his airline isn’t operating the superjumbo,
Douglas acknowledged the fact that the decision will disappoint many of Etihad’s customers:
“….we’re desperately disappointed to no longer have 380 operational in our fleet. From a guest
experience standpoint, it’s outstanding. And for all of you who’ve been onboard in particular,
the Etihad A380, you’ve probably acknowledged that it represented the absolute pinnacle
of presentational standard and customer service.” It would be nice to live in a world that would
allow for an easy and simple retrofit of existing Airbus A380s to have two large and efficient
engines instead of four. Sadly, it isn’t a modification that is desired
nor profitable in today’s climate. Do you think we’ll ever see an aircraft
as large as the A380 ever again, but with two engines? Let us know in the comments.