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 i