Airbus A380 superjumbo undergoes a revival as travel rebounds

The huge aircraft is enjoying a new lease of life as demand picks up after Covid-induced downturn

13 of the best A380 liveries: Emirates' the Museum of the Future livery. Photo: Emirates

Emirates flew this Expo 2020 liveried plane all over the world, which became a favourite of plane spotters who shared images on social media. Photo: Emirates

The Cricket World Cup liveried Emirates A380. Courtesy Emirates

The space livery on the Emirates A380. Courtesy Emirates

The Emirates special livery in support of United for Wildlife, a global collaboration that unites the efforts of the world's leading wildlife charities in the fight against the illegal wildlife trade. Wam

An Emirates A380 with Expo 2020 livery flying over Jumeirah Beach and Sheikh Zayed Road in Dubai, on October 13, 2021. EPA

Etihad Airways' first Airbus A380 with the Facets of Dhabi livery. Lee Hoagland / The National

The emerald green Expo 2020 sustainability livery on an Emirates A380. Courtesy Emirates

The Rugby World Cup special livery on Emirates' A380. Courtesy Emirates

Emirates' 100th A380 with its special Year of Zayed livery. Emmanuel Samoglou / The National

An Etihad A380 with Year of Zayed livery. Courtesy Etihad Airways

Emirates' new livery seen here on an A380 superjumbo celebrating the UAE's golden anniversary.

Real Madrid flying into Abu Dhabi on a special livery A380. Courtesy Emirates

Written off as an oversized anachronism when Covid-19 upended aviation, the world’s largest passenger plane is enjoying an unlikely revival amid an overwhelming rebound in air travel.

Many airlines struggled to see a future for their enormous Airbus A380s when the pandemic grounded fleets in early 2020.

Qantas Airways parked its 12 double-deckers in the Californian desert, saying they would not be needed for at least three years, while Etihad Airways said it was not clear if its 10 superjumbos would ever fly again.

But this year’s sudden travel recovery has given the cavernous jets — often seating more than 500 people — a new lease of life.

They have become the long-range jumbo of choice for airlines from the UK to the Gulf and Australia as passenger volumes stretch aviation workforces that were depleted during the crisis.

By the end of 2022, monthly A380 flights will be at about 60 per cent of pre-Covid totals, Cirium data shows, defying the jet’s doubters.

British Airways will operate more A380 flights by the end of the year than it did before Covid-19.

As international travel returns, the A380’s carrying ability is validating — at least for now — the confidence shown in it by its top buyer, Emirates, and proving useful for airlines such as Qantas that did not permanently turn their backs on the giant plane.

The superjumbo — which heralded a luxurious new chapter for aviation with its on-board bars and whisper-quiet interior when it was introduced in 2005 — was already falling out of favour before the pandemic hit, as airlines turned to smaller, more fuel-efficient planes. Airbus killed off the programme in 2019.

Malaysia Airlines, Germany’s Deutsche Lufthansa and Air France-KLM are among airlines selling or phasing out their fleets.

________________________

Airbus A380 through the years — in pictures

________________________

In June 2020, as Covid-19 swept across around the world, airlines worldwide operated only 43 passenger flights using A380s. The widespread vaccination campaigns, which allowed governments to peel back border controls, has since changed the picture.

This month, there are about 4,000 scheduled services using the A380, and about 6,000 planned for January 2023, according to Cirium.

Superjumbo services at Singapore Airlines, which turned one of the jets into a restaurant during the pandemic, will be almost back to normal by the end of 2022, the data show.

The A380’s appeal to airlines has always been limited. It found no buyers in the US, Latin America or Africa, for instance.

Should the current surge in travel demand fade and oil prices stay elevated, airlines such as IAG’s British Airways may struggle to justify running partially full, four-engined A380s.

The arrival of newer, fuel-efficient aircraft would once again pose an existential threat to the superjumbo.

Still, the A380’s value to airlines is expected to extend beyond the current surge, said John Grant, chief analyst at aviation data provider OAG.

That is partly because the small group of airlines flying the plane are either financially committed to the jet or do not have an immediate alternative, he said.

“I think it has a future for some carriers,” said Mr Grant. “Airlines may well be hoping — or praying — that in 18 months’ time the price of oil will be lower and the A380 will be an ideal aircraft.”

The A380 made its first flight in 2005 and won over passengers with its audacious scale — its wingspan is wider than a football pitch. Ultimately, airlines were turned off by its high operating costs.

Airbus sold only 251 of the planes and the last delivery, to Emirates, was made in November 2021. The aircraft remains a polarising force.

Qatar Airways chief executive Akbar Al Baker has described the A380 as the airline’s “biggest mistake”.

Air France-KLM’s French arm is happy to have pulled its 10 A380s from service in 2020, two years earlier than initially planned, avoiding a refurbishment bill of about €400 million ($420m), said Anne Rigail, who heads the division.

“The costs were so high that it was in our interest to move to new-generation planes that are more fuel efficient,” she said. “The A380s were put on the most important routes but were pretty complicated to fill.”

Not everyone sees it that way. Sydney-based Qantas has already put three of it planes back in service and plans to have half the fleet in the air by the end of 2022 for long-haul routes including the flagship Sydney-London service.

Ten refitted Qantas A380s are due to return to the skies by early 2024.

Emirates, which operates more than 100 A380s, is retrofitting many of them with premium-economy seats, a class that is proving popular with leisure travellers with money to burn as the pandemic fades.

South Korea’s Asiana Airlines is temporarily using two A380s on flights to Los Angeles and Bangkok to provide more seats before the Northern Hemisphere’s summer holiday season.