The Airbus A380 made its first commercial flight in 2007. When it debuted, it overtook the long reigning Boeing 747 as the world’s biggest passenger plane. It has four engines and is a full double-decker that can carry over 800 people depending on the airline.
The plane’s huge number of seats was seen as key in helping to free up the air traffic overcrowding at several big airports such as London’s Heathrow, New York’s JFK and Chicago’s O’Hare.
But orders for four engine aircraft began to decline alongside the arrival of more fuel-friendly planes such as Airbus’s own A350 and Boeing’s 787 Dreamliner.
The European plane maker Airbus announced an end to its A380 superjumbo program just 12 years after it first took to the skies. During the Covid-19 pandemic it was one of the most heavily impacted fleets due to its sheer size and cost to operate it, along with a near-halt to international long-haul travel. Many said it was the end for superjumbos, but the A380 has been making a comeback with several airlines pulling planes out of retirement.
Airbus expects the A380 to be flying for the next two decades and is currently still being operated by 10 airlines including Emirates, Lufthansa, Etihad Airways and British Airways.
CNBC explores how the A380 became the biggest passenger plane in the world and what the future looks like for the massive jet.
Chapters:
2:44 Development
6:32 Commercial service
9:53 Challenges
11:33 The future
Produced, shot and edited by Erin Black
Additional Camera by Maggie Petrova
Animation by Gene Kim
Supervising Producer Jeniece Pettitt
Editorial Support by Leslie Josephs
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Why The Airbus A380 Is Making An Unlikely Comeback
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Boeing had something alot like this in 70s, big ass plane
They are no doubt one of the best planes to fly from a consumer point of view. I always look forward to flying on the A380 planes.
Would love to fly on an A380 some day
Thanks god there is the A380 pls resume production ASAP, best passenger plane ever, period!
What a beautiful plane
I flew an airbus 380 once. It sucked…
If it had been built of CFRP it would still be in production.
The experts who keep saying that the hub and spoke model is somehow dead simply don’t know what they’re talking about. The guy who says it’s declined may, in part be right. But those who say the aircraft died because the operational model is dead seem to think it’s a one-size-fits-all idea, which it isn’t. All international airlines use a mix of hub-and-spoke and point-to-point. For Emirates or Singapore Airlines, this is the major part of their business. Qantas is more point-to-point but still needed the passenger capacity for flights to London and LA.
Everyone is calling a comeback. But Airbus has not started its production back correct?
11:30 – the START of the video for those who actually know history
12:25 – complete BS – it is NOT an effecient plane per passenger per seat mile – you could run 2, loaded 787s for the cost of one A380 loaded
Again if it ain't Boeing I'm not going………………………….
I think the major problem with the A380 is that not even Airbus understood its true potential role and so neither did the Airlines. Instead of using the A380 to replace an aircraft and expanding capacity per airport slot, it should have been used to consolidate 2 or 3 daily long-howl flights into one, thereby replacing not just 1 aircraft but 2 or 3.
'Disembarking' was frill free/easy/efficient, but not "Deboarding". Loved this feature! Love the A380!
Because it is already out of date and expensive to maintain
This is fantastic news to hear that, the beautiful A380 is coming back. With the world population growing, the world needs planes of the A380 size. All the Airbus company and airlines needs to do is to incorporate the new ideas of technologies to it.
Idk why 455m seems cheap lol
I found this plane rather boring because as an aircraft enthusiast, I like listening to the noises and vibrations an aircraft makes. However, this plane was so incredibly silent, you could take off without even noticing. Guess that's something normal people are attracted to.
I fail to understand why there aren't any flights from Europe to the US.
There are longer flights than to the east coast.
They failed to mention that the B747 was designed to be a cargo liner.
Why would LA/SF to NYC or Washington DC not offer the volume to fly fewer planes with the same passenger nos. LAX and the major northwest eastcoast airports all have gate capacity. Was it just that most US airlines cannot be seen as buying non Boeing for the bigger planes. Pretty sure there is some US east to West coast seats that would be premium of some kind.
Plus plenty "newer" 747s that can be bought cheap and retrofitted for cargo and even then the market for such cargo routes is finite unless fuel costs fall,gets more expensive. If the 380s engines could run on synfuel then its carbon cut would add to its attractiveness. Even Boeing knows a halo plane (and the dreamliner is somewhat an attempt) that the 747 was is a loss once its gone from the skies.
Best plane I've flown in
I don't support Arab airlines those Arab countries don't like Americans. Gotta make the a380 lighter somehow.
I'm a diehard 747 guy the sound of power at take off yes yes she lets you know the boss is got the hold of the sky's
Very cool plane but the 747 started flying 50 years ago.