The Airbus A380 is popular with passengers. The airlines, on the other hand, have a rather ambiguous relationship: the wide-body aircraft with four engines consumes much more kerosene than the latest generation jets such as the Airbus A350 or the Boeing 787 with only two engines. These are not only more economical to operate, but also easier to fill. Depending on the airline and the seating, between 409 and 615 passengers fit into an Airbus A380.
Air France and Malaysia Airlines also see the giant plane as a discontinued model. With the slow resumption of long-haul traffic, smaller and more efficient aircraft are now being used. But someone sees it very differently: “When competitors shut down their A380, that’s music to my ears,” said Sir Tim Clark of Emirates a few days ago in an interview with the website airlines.de.
No wonder, because Emirates operates by far the largest A380 fleet in the world and has bought almost half of the A380 production. Airbus will deliver the last two copies later this year. “This is a very powerful aircraft and we will be using it well into the 2030s.”
Since the airline only operates wide-body aircraft, the first routes in passenger traffic with the Boeing 777 were resumed during pandemic times and later switched to the A380 in accordance with demand. Singapore Airlines, with the second largest A380 fleet, is also getting some of its flagships back on the road.
From November 19, the giant will be used again on the route between Singapore and London Heathrow. “The A380, of which we will operate twelve with the newest cabin in the future, remains a very important part of our fleet,” said Lee Lik Hsin, Executive Vice President of Singapore Airlines, in a Zoom interview with the star already in September.
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