The ban on A380s was imposed due to concerns that foreign airlines could grab a high share of international traffic, hurting state-run Air India. Air India could not be reached for comment. The A380 can carry more than 800 passengers in a single-class configuration and more than 500 passengers in a three-class set up.
The four airports equipped to handle the A380s are in New Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore and Hyderabad. The ban on A380s was mainly due to concerns that foreign carriers may further hurt state-run Air India by grabbing a larger share of international traffic.
For some airlines, the A380 offered too much capacity, while for Emirates, the airline can't get enough of the plane. Unfortunately for Emirates (and us passengers), the days of the Airbus A380 are numbered. Airbus stopped A380 production in 2021, as there weren't sufficient orders to keep production going.
NEW DELHI (Reuters) - India will allow Airbus A380 planes to land at the country's four main airports, the civil aviation ministry said on Monday, lifting restrictions on the superjumbos flying into the country.
However, no Indian carrier has ever owned an Airbus A380, and given that Airbus has stopped manufacturing the A380, it is unlikely that an Indian airline will get its hands on a brand-new superjumbo.
The 777-300s that operate for American Airlines seat 304 passengers. For comparison, some of the Emirates A380s are configured with around 300 seats more than this. Even carriers with three class, low-density A380s are flying with 165 more seats. For American Airlines, it's just too big.
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.
Qatar Airways is keen to retire its Airbus A380 aircraft as soon as feasible. While the airline cannot ground its fleet due to capacity needs, Group CEO Akbar Al Baker made it clear to Simple Flying that there is no long-term future for the giant of the skies in his fleet.
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.
With the retirement of B-6138, China Southern is left with just two Airbus A380s.
Currently, the world's biggest international airline has on order 50 A350-900s, 30 787-9s and 115 Boeing 777Xs. The airline operates 119 A380s, 123 Boeing 777-300ERs and 10 Boeing 777-200LRs. The 777X aircraft will replace the A380s, while the A350s and 787s will eventually replace the 777s.
The airline is scheduled to receive its last A380 aircraft in 2021. Based on Emirates' original projections of a 12-year service life, the airline looks set to continue flying the A380 until 2033.
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.
Emirates, the Dubai based air carrier has the largest fleet of Airbus A380 globally. While they started fligts to Delhi Airport as early as 2014, empty seats forced them to close the operations in India. Starting October 30, 2022, Emirates' has reintroduced Airbus A380 flights in India, between Dubai and Bengaluru.
Aviation enthusiasts are looking forward to this historic feat. Bengaluru is only one of four airports in India that are A380-compatible. Delhi, Mumbai and Hyderabad are the other three.
How many airports can the A380 fly to? According to Airbus, the A380 is compatible with over 140 small and large airports for regular service worldwide, and up to 400 airports when adding diversion airports.
As of December 2021, the global A380 fleet had completed more than 800,000 flights over 7.3 million block hours with no fatalities and no hull losses. As of December 2022, there were 237 aircraft in service with 16 operators worldwide.
Airbus A380 Private Charter Flights and Prices
The average hourly rental rate of the Airbus A380 is around 37,150 USD per hour.
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.
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. Airline chief Alan Joyce says the airline's “intent was always to” keep the A380s to its end of life, which it forecasts to be in about 10 years.
Qantas operates a fleet of Airbus A330, Airbus A380, Boeing 737 and Boeing 787 making a total of 125 aircraft. This list excludes subsidiaries Jetstar, QantasLink and Qantas Freight.
Emirates' entire A380 fleet will be back in air by the spring of 2023. Clark has long lamented the fact that neither Airbus or Boeing plan to build a new plane the size of the A380.
Maximizing capacity at major airports
One of the motivations for developing the A380 was its ability to carry more passengers using just one slot at busy airports. Emirates has made this work well, operating the A380 to a number of busy airports with high occupancy.
Sir Tim Clark, President Emirates Airline said: “The A380 is a truly special aircraft in so many ways. For Emirates, it gave us the opportunity to redefine the travel experience, efficiently serve demand at slot-constrained airports, and bolster our network growth.
In an A380 the pilots' rest compartment is located just aft of the cockpit. Aboard Boeing's 787 Dreamliner it's above the main deck, up a short flight of stairs above the forward cabin. In other twin-aisle aircraft pilots' sleeping quarters might be below or adjacent to the cockpit.