What a year it has been for the A380. Seven airlines expect to use it this year, with Singapore Airlines scheduling the type back into service from October 31st. 12 destinations are bookable, with Heathrow and Sydney the most served. While Osaka returns from December, there’s no sign – yet – of Melbourne or Tokyo Narita.
Seven A380 users this year
Seven airlines are due to use the A380 this year, according to schedule submissions to OAG. Some 22,535 A380 flights are currently listed for the whole of 2021, a decline from 119,032 in 2019. Emirates will have almost seven in ten of the 22,535 flights.
- Emirates: 15,544 round-trip A380 flights planned
- Korean Air: 1,751
- Singapore Airlines: 1,729
- British Airways: 1,713
- China Southern:1,010
- All Nippon: 526
- Asiana: 262
Eight no longer are using it
The world’s third-largest operator of the aircraft, Lufthansa, has effectively retired the A380, along with Air France, Etihad Airways, HiFly (a wet lease operator), Malaysia Airlines, and Thai Airways.
Qatar Airways, meanwhile, says the aircraft has no future and has yet to schedule any flights with the type for this year or next. In contrast, Qantas remains bullish: it expects to restart using all its A380s, although not yet.
Stay informed: Sign up for our daily and weekly aviation news digests.
Singapore Airlines had 25% of A380 flights
Singapore Airlines stands out. It has 12 A380s, all currently parked. However, it expects to resume A380 service in October, based on its latest filing of schedules on May 17th.
The 1,729 A380 flights that Singapore Airlines expects would mean that it has just 17% of what it had in 2019. This clearly illustrates the continual extreme…