Gallery: The Fortunes Of The Airbus A380

James Pozzi July 21, 2021
Singapore Airlines A380

Credit: Singapore Airlines

Pre-crisis, Singapore Airlines had already started to hand back some of its A380 aircraft to Germany-based lessor Dr. Peters in 2017. Its 12 remaining A380s all remain parked as a result of COVID-19 shutting down passenger travel, and while it still intends to phase out all of the aircraft as part of a wider fleet downsizing program, it has undertaken upgrades on its A380s during the downtime.

Etihad Likely To Bring Forward A380 Retirements Post-Crisis

Credit: Etihad Airways Engineering

Etihad, which operated 10 A380s pre-crisis, sent the aircraft for long-term storage in Europe earlier this year. Adding to its uncertain future in its fleet, the airline's CEO Tony Douglas stated that he didn't see the superjumbo as commercially viable.

Qatar Airways To Cut Its A380 Fleet In Half

Credit: Kurt Hofmann

Qatar Airways outlined plans in January to reduce its A380 fleet from 10 aircraft to five. However, rather than citing the COVID-19 pandemic, Qatar Airways CEO Akbar Al Baker cited concerns about the aircraft's environmental impact as a factor in the carrier's decision.
MAG

Malaysia Airlines Looks To Offload Its Six A380s

Credit: Joe Pries

The latest carrier looking to offload its A380s is Malaysia Airlines, which has operated the aircraft since 2012. In July this year, it confirmed it was looking to sell its six A380 aircraft and even posted an advert for sale inquiries on LinkedIn.

Lufthansa Looks To Retire A380s

Credit: Joe Pries

After posting a record 6.7 billion euro ($8.10 billion) for 2020, Lufthansa has looked to cut costs across its operation. This extends to its fleet, with the airline reportedly talking to Boeing and Airbus about bringing in smaller, more fuel efficient long-haul aircraft. A casualty of this is the A380, with Lufthansa confirming in March 2021 that its eight A380s would not be returning to service post-crisis.

A380 Phased Out By Air France

Credit: Air France

In summer 2020, Air France phased out its remaining nine A380 aircraft. It owned five of the aircraft with the remaining four on operational lease.
A380s

Guillaume Souvant /AFP / Getty Images

One European carrier that still seemingly has faith in the A380 program is British Airways. Over the past year, it has parked some of the aircraft at Châteauroux-Déols airport in central France as well as in Madrid. The airline is undertaking cabin modifications on some of the aircraft and has regularly conducted maintenance on the superjumbo over the past 15 months. British Airways has reiterated it will continue to fly the aircraft long-term.
China Southern Airlines Airbus A380

China Southern Mulls A380 Future

Credit: Rob Finlayson

China Southern is China's only A380 operator with five of the aircraft in its fleet. However, this could be set to change, with the airline suggesting earlier this year that the aircraft may not be a viable long-term fleet option.
Emirates

Emirates' Long-Term A380 Bet

Credit: Birmingham Airport

Where the A380 will live on in the long-term is at Dubai-based Emirates, which operates the highest volume of A380s in the world with more than 100 aircraft. It unveiled its long-term strategy for the aircraft in September 2019, where it outlined plans to fly the aircraft until 2035. To date, just one A380 has been retired from the Emirates fleet.

Qantas Plans A380 Return To The Skies

After leaving their storage location in the Mojave Desert in California, the 12 A380s operated by Qantas are being readied for a return to the skies.

The A380's Newest Customer

Credit: Airbus

All Nippon Airways is the newest operator of the A380, having taken its first aircraft in May 2019. More than two years on, it still operates three of the aircraft, having taken its final delivery in October 2020.
Thai

Thai Airways Plans A380 Exit

credit: Nigel Howarth / Aviation Week

In February 2021, Thai Airways confirmed plans to retire several widebody aircraft types, including its six A380s. The Thailand flag carrier is looking to slash costs in the wake of the pandemic.

Korean Air Parks A380s, No Plans To Retire Fleet

Credit: Rob Finlayson

Korean Air operates 10 A380s, all of which have been placed into long-term storage. However, the carrier remains confident that these aircraft will come back into active service to fly to routes in Europe and North America.

Asiana Stores A380s, Flies Empty Aircraft

Another Korean carrier operating the aircraft is Asiana Airlines, which operates six aircraft. Having placed them into storage at the height of the crisis, the carrier flew empty A380s in summer 2020 in order to maintain pilot certification for the aircraft type.

Malaysia Airlines' announcement that it plans to sell off the remainder of its Airbus A380 fleet will likely further accelerate the exit of the superjumbo from the global fleet. Here's a look at what all of its airline operators have planned for the aircraft.

James Pozzi

As Aviation Week's MRO Editor EMEA, James Pozzi covers the latest industry news from the European region and beyond. He also writes in-depth features on the commercial aftermarket for Inside MRO.