Little by little abandoned by the airlines, due to the lack of profitability, the A380 – that has not been manufactured by Airbus for three years – is back in the sky, especially at Emirates, the first user of this jumbo jet.
70 of its 118 units are currently in operation, a figure that will rise to 80 by the end of the year and 118 next summer. Well, the entire fleet of the company confirmed its general director, Tim Clark, to the German press on Wednesday.
The Dubai-based airline, because of the setup of its operations, is betting big on this device while its competitors have been stashing it in the garage. It is investing $2 billion to equip it with its new Economy Premium class.
Returns under duress
“It incorporates all the Business class codes such as reception, catering and entertainment. We are convinced of the relevance of this proposal that is marketed between 10 and 15% more expensive than the Eco class” Cédric Renard, France Managing Director of Emirates, explained to us last October.
Contrary to the current trend towards lighter, twin-jet and single-aisle aircraft, the expensive-to-monetize A380 is also making a comeback with other airlines.
It flies intercontinental routes with British Airways, which owns 12 aircraft, Singapore Airlines, which also owns 12, Qatar Airways (8), Qantas (6) and Korean (4). Lufthansa wants to bring its fleet of eight A380s back into service next summer almost three years after they were retired.
However, with the exception of Emirates, these returns are a bit under pressure for companies. In fact, they have to absorb a very significant increase in current traffic, so they need to deliver.
Especially since Boeing 777X deliveries are way behind schedule. This aircraft, the largest in the Boeing catalog but lighter than the A380, has only two engines, making it much cheaper to operate and therefore profitable.
A350-1000 vs. 777X
It can carry 384 to 426 passengers, has an order book of 340 units, mainly from seven major airlines including Emirates, Lufthansa, Cathay Pacific, Singapore Airlines and Qatar Airways. These same companies that fly the A380…
The first deliveries were expected in mid-2020 before being postponed to early 2021 for another postponement. Now they are expected by the end of 2023. It is also supposed to compete with the A350, which is today the largest aircraft in the Airbus catalogue.
The European aircraft manufacturer has no intention of going any further in size. “Our product strategy is to continually develop our aircraft to meet the latest market demands, as evidenced by the commercial success of our entire product line, including the largest A350-1000 produced to date,” a spokesperson for the aircraft manufacturer explained. planes.
Source: BFM TV
