Airbus has always maintained that it would support a second-hand market for the world’s
biggest passenger jet, the A380. However, aside from Portuguese wet lease specialist
Hi Fly, no airline has yet taken the plunge and bought a second-hand model. Is there really
a future for the A380 in the second-hand market?
Second-hand aircraft, particularly large and expensive ones, have generally seen a healthy
lifespan. Airlines such as Virgin Atlantic would never have got off the ground if not
for the prospect of buying or leasing cheaper, used aircraft. However, the A380 has not enjoyed
the same level of success as some other aircraft models.
Indeed, several A380s have already been sent to the scrapyard, despite only being young
planes in aircraft terms. Although the Dr. Peters Group is expecting
to get a good return on their investment in the scrapped superjumbos when parts are sold,
it’s still bizarre that the aircraft seems worth more as the sum of its parts than as
a whole plane. Airbus has previously said it would support
a second-hand market for the A380, suggesting that it would provide maintenance and a mechanism
for airlines to acquire and operate the type. The manufacturer reaffirmed this stance at
the 2019 Dubai Airshow. In February, it also announced a new partnership with a Singapore
Airlines MRO business to reduce the cost of refitting the type.
And yet, despite all these efforts, there seems to be little interest in the A380 as
a second-hand plane. Aside from Hi Fly, no other airline has ever purchased a second-hand
A380, and most that are exiting airline fleets are sent directly to aircraft graveyards for
scrapping.
Operating the A380 is an expensive business. Its four engines double the maintenance costs
over that of maintaining a twinjet equivalent, and the plane is really only economical to
fly if all the seats are filled. This has proven to be tricky in the past, and with
new generation technologies taken into account, it is both cheaper and more flexible to fly
multiple modern airliners than it is to use an A380.
Indeed, the Qantas CEO Alan Joyce once told Business Insider Australia that,
“If we were to fly two 787s tail-to-tail, the per-seat cost would be less than the A380”.
Despite this, Qantas has been enthusiastic about its A380 fleet, undertaking a multimillion-dollar
project to refit the type with new, modern interiors. However, since that decision was
taken, the A380 has encountered perhaps its biggest challenge to date.
The coronavirus crisis has stunted travel demand and it’s predicted to dampen passenger
traffic for many years to come. This has seen numerous airlines begin to retire the type
early, and many more reconsidering their long-term, long-haul fleet strategies. Even Qantas has
pressed pause on its refit program and has admitted that perhaps not all 12 will return
to its future fleet. With low prospects for the giant jumbo, is
there another role that it could play in the future aviation market?
While the demand for passenger A380s looks to be dwindling, could the aircraft find a
new life as a freight mover? On the surface, it seems unlikely, as inherent issues with
using the passenger jets in a cargo capacity hamper its competitiveness.
However, there is an A380 that could serve to break the mold. One A380 is currently sitting
at Lufthansa Technik in Germany having conversion work done to make it a suitable cargo workhorse.
While the details of the conversion remain under wraps, it could mean it’s having a
rear cargo door fitted, perhaps even a top level one too.
As such, when it’s completed, the world could see its first-ever A380F, or at least
an A380 combi, capable of moving both cargo and passengers.
This could prove to be a useful tool in a post-COVID world, where fewer passenger planes
flying will leave a gap in the cargo market. Even with cargo doors, the A380 still has
some weight and range issues to overcome. In general, it will always be outpaced by
better freight movers such as the Boeing 747. But for airlines looking to shift the youngest
A380s into some sort of useful capacity, it could be a solid option.
What do you think? Will used A380s ever have a second life in the air? Let us know your
thoughts in
the comments.