Large-sized passenger planes were written off when Covid -19 upended the aviation sector. The world’s largest airplane, A380, is now seeing a massive rebound in air travel and is enjoying a likely revival.
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In 2020 when the pandemic ground many fleets of A380s, several airlines were struggling to see the future for enormous jet planes. Qantas parked 12 double-deckers in the deserts of California, saying they would not need them for the next three years, while Etihad Airways were doubtful if their ten superjumbos would ever fly again.
However, the sudden recovery in air travel this year gave impetus to these massive jets that often seat more than 500 people with a new lease of life. They became the large-scale choice for airlines in the UK to the gulf and Australia route as passenger volume stretched the depleted work forces during the pandemic.
Per Bloomberg News, Cirium data shows that by the end of 2022, 380 flights will touch almost 60% of pre-covid levels. British Airways is expected to operate more A380 flights by the year-end than before the pandemic.
With international air travel resuming and the huge bets by Emirates, the No. 1 buyer of A 380s and Qantas, who did not turn its back permanently, the giant plane’s ability to carry many passengers have been validated.
The A 380 super jumbos, with their luxuries such as onboard bars and quiet interiors, were introduced in 2019 and already fell out of favor with airlines before the pandemic struck as they opted for more fuel-efficient smaller planes.
Air France-KLM, Deutsche Lufthansa AG, and Malaysia Airlines Bud were among those selling or phasing out their fleets. In June 2020, only 43 passenger flights used A380s airplanes when covid-19 was raging. The vaccination rollout allowed governments to relax border controls which changed the picture.
According to Cirium, there are some 4000 scheduled services involving A380s and about 6000 in January 2023. Singapore Airlines, which offered super jumbo services and had turned its back on the jet during the pandemic, is now almost back to normal.
The appeal of A380 jet has always had a limited appeal to many airliners, and it had no buyers in the US, Africa, or Latin America. If the demand surge for air travel fades, and oil prices remain elevated, carriers like British Airways will struggle to justify the four-engine 380s running partially full. Also, the arrival of smaller fuel-efficient jets will pose an existential threat to A 380.
Airbus sold 252 jets, with the final delivery to the Emirates happening in November 2021. The aircraft remains polarized, with CEO Akbar Ali of Qatar Airways describing the A 380 as the airliner’s biggest mistake.
Air France -KLM French division had pulled out its 10 A 380s in 2020, much before the pandemic. It saved around $420 million on refurbishment bills.
