Superjumbo returns: Airlines still flying A380s to Australia

The Airbus A380, the world’s largest passenger plane, fell out of favor with airlines but still proved useful – and popular. Photo: AP

“Too big, too expensive to operate, an anachronism” – those are some of the decisions made on the A380, the world’s largest passenger plane.

Shortly after the A380 first took paying passengers into the sky – on a Singapore Airlines flight from Singapore to Sydney in October 2007 – the world’s airlines fell in love with it.

The hefty weight of the four-engine giant made it a gas spender, and as oil prices skyrocketed, the A380 began to look like a dinosaur. Airlines that have signed superjumbos cancel orders. Singapore Airlines launch customers were among the first to be disappointed, canceling its first A380 after nearly a decade of service.

Two Singapore Airlines A380s at the Asia Pacific Aircraft Storage facility near Alice Springs in 2020. Photo: Getty Images

Came a pandemic and much of the world’s A380 fleet was stationed in the deserts of the western United States and at the Asia Pacific Aircraft Storage facility near Alice Springs. Some in the aviation industry question whether the defunct A380 will ever find a place in the skies again.

For many pamphlets, it was a blow. Traveling on the A380 is always a topic of conversation. It’s incredibly smooth, quiet unless you’re on the tail end and the big, wide cabin feels airy and spacious. For business flyers there’s usually a bar, and the upper deck, which often has an economy section as well as business seats, is one of the best economy cabins you’ll ever fly. But when air travel gets back on track, the four-engine giant finds relief, earning him at least a reprieve, and maybe even a rebirth for some airlines.

According to data from Cirium, of the more than 10,000 A380 flights in January 2020, there were fewer than 1000 flights per month for the rest of 2020. The lowest point occurred in June of that year when the number of A380 passenger flights fell below 50 for the whole month. The numbers remained low for the first six months of 2021, but since mid-2021 demand for travel has started to pick up and the A380 is back on the air, ending with 3000 flights in December. Throughout 2022 the trend continues, with approximately 5,000 A380 flights by mid-year and increasing. Currently, about a third of the world’s A380 fleet is back in the air. By the end of 2022, the number of A380 flights is expected to account for around 60 percent of the pre-Covid number.

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Particularly in markets where demand for long-distance travel is increasing, such as Australia, the A380 is proving its worth as a workhorse. There are currently seven airlines operating the A380. That’s just half the number that have flown the planes since 2007, but four of the seven airlines operate flights to Australia.

Qantas’ love for superjumbos has not diminished due to the pandemic. The national carrier has operated the A380 on its flagship QF1 flight between Sydney and London via Singapore since mid-June. After a brief appearance on the Sydney-Los Angeles route, Qantas has deployed all three of its active A380s on the kangaroo route to the UK. The Boeing 787 currently operating services to Los Angeles from Melbourne and Sydney will eventually be replaced by the A380. Three more Qantas superjumbos are currently under repair in Abu Dhabi and the airline plans to return 10 of its 12 A380 fleet to service, with full complements back in the skies by early 2024.

Since March 2022, shortly after Australia opened its borders to allow seamless international travel, Emirates has operated a twice-daily A380 service between Sydney and Dubai. EK415, which arrived in Sydney at dawn, continued on to Melbourne. On the other hand, Emirates flight EK 409 is a daily Airbus A380 non-stop service from Melbourne to Dubai. Emirates also offers daily A380 service between Dubai and Brisbane.

Emirates has become the number one customer for the A380, acquiring a total fleet of 118 in bulk. According to Planespotters.net, 71 of the planes are still in active service. That’s more than the total number of A380s currently operated by all other airlines combined. Emirates now operates A380 services from Dubai to 27 cities including Port Louis on the island of Mauritius, Brazil’s Sao Paolo and Amman in Jordan. The last A380 made before Airbus stopped producing the giant plane was delivered to Emirates in December.

Another Gulf State carrier operating the A380 service to Australia is Qatar Airways, with daily flights between Doha and Sydney. That’s surprising because Qatari CEO Akbar Al Baker is not a fan of the A380, once describing it as the airline’s “biggest mistake” at a 2021 webinar hosted by aviation news site Simple Flying.

The fourth airline to fly the A380 to Australia is Singapore Airlines, whose flight SQ231 is a daily service between Singapore and Sydney. The airline currently has a fleet of 17 A380s, with nine still in service.

A Qantas A380 in storage in Victorville in California’s Mojave desert during the pandemic. Qantas has now returned the A380 to the Sydney-London route.

See also: Airline review: Perfect score for this A380 business class

See also: The planes we will be boarding in the near future

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