The aircraft's capacity numbers have grown Year-on-Year (YoY) and Month-on-Month (MoM) globally and are expected to continue growing, as more and more carriers are looking to restore the double-deck aircraft for the upcoming summer in 2023.
The Executive Board Members of Deutsche Lufthansa AG also announced the reactivation of the A380 in a joint letter to the company's customers: “In the summer of 2023, we not only expect to have a much more reliable air transport system worldwide. We will be welcoming you back on board our Airbus A380s, too.
Qantas is bringing its Airbus A380 back onto the Sydney-Hong Kong route from October 2023 through to March 2024 in a sign of continued demand for travel to the Asian metropolis.
A380 COMES BACK THANKS TO STRONG DEMAND
Another important advantage for the airlines' finances is that it is an aircraft that allows for many high-contribution seats in First, Business and Premium Class, while carrying several hundred passengers in Eco Class.
A spokesperson for Airbus told TPG that the company has no plans at this point to revive production of the A380, noting that many of the former A380 hangars are currently being used for A320 aircraft production.
Back in 2019, at their annual conference, Airbus officials announced that the A350 would replace the A380 as the company's premier passenger plane due to financial factors. The A380 production ended with the departure of former Airbus CEO Tom Enders due to a lack of demand; the company had 17 orders in the backlog.
However, despite many coming back into use, 124 of the mighty giants are undergoing maintenance, lie in storage, or have since been scrapped.
The aircraft, for all its technological marvels and passenger comforts, was never a successful plane, selling only a handful to everyone except Emirates and lacking the mass appeal Airbus needed to turn a profit. As a result, the A380 never did break-even for Airbus.
The superjumbos don't have a significant role to play in Qantas' next growth phase. While the A380 never became popular with airlines in the way Airbus had hoped for, the COVID pandemic certainly didn't help with its waning popularity among carriers.
Boeing claims that the 747-8 is more cost-effective per seat per mile than any other aircraft. However, Airbus claims that the A380 is the most efficient jet in the world. It does not make much sense to compare the two jets in fuel burn and seat-mile cost. The planes are considerably different in size.
Average Qantas Pilot yearly pay in Australia is approximately $131,906, which is 28% above the national average.
Singapore Airlines (SIA) has brought its Airbus A380s back to Melbourne Airport, replacing the Boeing 777s that had been flying the Singapore-Melbourne service. Flight SQ237 from Singapore touched down at 9:30 this morning on the A380-800 9V-SKW (pictured), having left Changi at 12:45am local time last night.
Qantas expects to keep its Airbus A380 fleet for the next decade, as it commits to returning its full fleet of ten aircraft by 2024, a year later than earlier reported.
The final Airbus A380 ever to be built has been handed over to its new owners, the Dubai-based carrier Emirates. It is a landmark moment. The giant of the skies will continue to fly, but its long-term future remains uncertain.
the a380s first customer was Singapore Airlines which began flying planes in 2007.. this airplane is the direct rival to the Boeing 747. which is no longer in production. however the A380 was also discontinued due to a decline in market demand.
While Qantas has never had a fatal jet airliner accident, the Australian national airline suffered losses in its early days before the widespread adoption of jets in civilian aviation. These were mainly biplanes or flying boats servicing routes in Queensland and New Guinea.
The Dubai-based carrier has a fleet of 121 A380s, of which 87 are in operation at the present time.
Both first and economy cabins have been refurbished, along with the upper deck lounge (accessible to first, business and premium economy passengers) upgraded to offer booth-style seating for up to 10 passengers and a self-service bar.
The amortization of the original investment was not considered in this equation. Based on this information, we can assume that the Airbus A380 program never turned a profit when we consider the huge investment the aircraft manufacturer made to start the program.
It's estimated that Airbus sunk 25 billion Euros into the project, far more than originally estimated, and the aircraft maker never sold enough of them to make a profit. The last Airbus A380 was delivered to Emirates at the end of December 2021, marking the end of the largest passenger plane ever built.
However, the $445 million price tag of each aircraft was not sufficient to even cover the production cost, so with Airbus losing money on each A380, and with orders evaporating, it made economic sense to cease production.
Lufthansa's decision to park its A380 turned into the German carrier permanently retiring the superjumbos, while AirFrance also retired its last A380. The last A380 has been delivered to Dubai-based airline Emirates.
The Middle Eastern giant
The obvious answer for the largest A380 fleet is Dubai-based Emirates. The airline has a total of 121 superjumbos, including the last one ever to be built.
Airbus A380 Custom
The A380-Custom is a luxurious private jet that can accommodate 50 passengers and 25 crew members at a time. The Airbus A380-Custom is owned by Saudi Prince Al-Waleed bin Talal.