Requiem for the A380
The last A380 that will be built, for Emirates naturally, has just started its test flight program at Toulouse, the home of Airbus. Serial number (MSN) 269 will see the end of A380 production and Airbus’s gigantic final assembly building will fall silent. It is truly the end of an era.
With the COVID-19 pandemic bringing air travel to a virtual standstill, large capacity long-haul aircraft are the worst hit. I have discussed the implications of this in relation to the A380 previously, here and here.
Emirates, the biggest customer for the aircraft, continues to be optimistic about its return, though some recent actions the airline has taken to restructure its operations, says otherwise. At the moment, some sectors are being operated by the A380 (DXB-LHR being one) this summer, but most other airlines are not so sanguine.
Air France has already announced that its nine A380s will not be returning to service. Lufthansa has permanently retired six its fleet of 14. Qantas A380s are in long-term storage in California. Singapore Airlines, which has already returned several leased aircraft, has no immediate plans to reactivate its fleet either. British Airways has been moving its fleet from France where they were in storage, to Heathrow for routine maintenance, but have not announced a return to scheduled flying yet.
The Economist magazine has reported that residual values at the end of the initial lease period (typically between 8–12 years) have plummeted. The initial purchase price, a closely guarded secret, would have been in excess of USD 250 million per aircraft. Current residual values for a used A380, also confidential, are estimated to be in the region of USD 10–15 million, which is a catastrophic decline.
It is particularly sad for me, as I was fortunate to be one of the first pilots in the world to fly the A380. As a requiem to my favorite aircraft, I have written ‘The Airbus A380 Superjumbo — a tribute and a personal memoir’. It is available as an e-book or paperback on Amazon for anyone who is interested.
Adios my old friend — I hope I will fly on you as a passenger again soon.
