There is an enormous discrepancy between the A380 economics and the passengers love for this aircraft. I've personalty never experienced a smoother and more enjoyable flight than on a Qatar A380 between Cdg and Doha and I've flown on nearly all big birds for many years. I will miss it if they're all soon retired.
Couldn't agree more. The A380 is such a pleasure to fly on. And it feels so composed for such a massive aircraft. I'm personally gutted to see it go, as a passenger and a casual plane spotter!... :(
How gross is it, that these giant aeospace vehicles get the same capitalist treatment as busses. I get it if your on a bus, you get what you pay for, it’ll be cramped and gross but whatever. Now a plane on the other hand, should never be uncomfortable to fly on, never. Not even childeren have enough space in economy. Genuine health issues arise having the cabins molested like this. Just have less seats, up the fleat, hire more crews and pilots, fly more often. Then you beat the competition, and have all passengers able to thoroughly enjoy the privilege of being able to reach the stratosphere in a multimillion dollar aerospace vehicle
I would love to see a comparison of what the airlines pay for each A380, how much they made on all of them , how much the up keep cost and what it costs to store them.
Given the costs to build these machines, I cannot imagine that they will never be used again. I'm sure (and I sincerely hope) someone will figure out a way to make money off of them other than by scrapping.
@@jimjonrs3932 "A380 cannot be converted to a freighter!" A380F : "Hold my beer !!" Of course it can, and a cargo version has indeed already flown. Would it be feasible ? Probably not. The upper deck has a very low allowable maximum weight. You'd run out of weight long before you run out of space. Logistics would need to be put in place for the type. This would be very costly, and the cost would negate the purpose. This is why you still haul trash in a 747...
For my part, I'm surprised that even the long-term storage birds are only mothballed as much as they are; I had not expected to hear "We spin the engines up every week or two".
As an aviation enthusiast I am downhearted to see these incredible giants grounded! I hope to see these planes fly again soon. I also want to say I hope all the Airline, Boeing, and Airbus employees who have lost their job due to the ccp virus will get them back Such a bleak and somber situation.🙁
4 года назад
Please don't refer to it as covid-19, it obscures the source. Instead say "the chinese virus" (chinese with lowercase c out of disrespect).
I'm a very happy subscriber of "Simple Flying" already but when I saw this extra channel, I thought "Jackpot!!!!"........ Thank you for this channel Simple Flying, these extra long videos are greatly appreciated.
Booyaka9000 seriously? Airbus didn’t come close to covering production cost and never made a profit. The first plane’s are heading for retirement decades before most commercial airliners. Airbus shut production down and no one wants to buy the plane because it’s outrageously expensive to operate. I’m not saying the A380 isn’t a incredible feat of engineering, it definitely is. It’s ugly and a absolute total failure but still incredible..
@@Booyaka9000 not a fanboy thing, it's a REALISTIC thing. Even airlines say the same thing. Drop that stupid fanboy BS and start being realistic. This is the real world.
Excellent Video. The storage procedures are far more complicated than I ever imagined. I have a Singapore Airlines A380 flight booked in December and I am becoming less and less optimistic that it will go ahead as planned. I love the plane and will be very sad to see it disappear.
What a fabulous, gorgeous aircraft the A380 is. Love flying on it, love seeing it. What an incredible achievement to have built such a fabulous aircraft.
A very detailed, and well informed video, thank you! And to answer your question. Unfortunately I believe Covid ushered in the end of this magnificent aircraft.
I have flown long haul on the A380 many times. They are the best airplanes in terms of comfort and safety and very stable in flight. It is sad to see them put in storage and may never fly again.
audif150 The A380 is dead. On the other hand, the 747 was a truly magnificent piece of engineering, designed in the 1960’s with just slide rules and all done in just three years, and yet a total joy to fly. (I have over 10k hours in the pilot’s seat, so have a pretty good idea.) Also amazingly it was basically the “B” team engineers working on the 747, as the “A” team guys were working on the SST, which was a total failure, and even more dead in the water than the Concorde. The magnificent piece of engineering was undoubtedly the 747, definitely NOT the A380, ugly, and a financial black hole. The A380 was over weight, over budget, and late. It has very rarely made it’s owners any money. The 747 will still be flying freight long after the last A380 is scrapped.
Thanks for the video. I do miss that big and wonderful bird. Flewn it several times and in all classes. Perfect airplane. Hope to see more of that bird operating
The airlines are all doomed with ever stricter emission regulations. Unless somebody develops low-emission or preferably emission-free aircraft (research and development proceeding right now) you can bet that air travel will become a luxury for the few in the future.
@@jamesshunt5123 That's the idea behind this scheme: make the world for the rich again. Enough with the workers traveling and driving cars. If you think the left cares for the workers, you are an idiot.
Without EK, the whole A380 program would be dead. Now with 98 stored A380s....the future is uncertain for EK despite the usual Middle Eastern naïve optimism to keep face.
It's heartbreaking to see QANTAS jets probably fly for the last time. QANTAS are now fully retiring their 747s, and the A380s will be next. But I love the video, proud aussie here, good to see so much footage of our national carrier :) and aircraft storage on our own soil.
This is so sad. The A380 is such an incredible aircraft, my favourite to fly on (was due to fly on one a few months ago before everything got cancelled). I hope there are still a few around once international travel resumes...
An amazing aircraft to fly in we had our first trip to the UK from New Zealand with Emirates what a nice plane roomy, we flew down in the seating behind the cockpit, lets hope that this world gets back to some normality soon
“Even standing still the A380 sucks up money and resources” - at 1:13. Translation: A380 is (overall) a money pit. Opinion: The plane is good in/for extremely high capacity routes. EDIT: Interesting, draining the fuel tanks, I read GA pilots (if they own there own plane) and long-term storing fill up the tanks. (At 3:21)
What they mean is they do water drains to remove any condensed water that can accumulate in the tanks. Draining the tanks completely is a bad idea as sealants are more prone to failing and then when you do eventually fill the tank, it will sometimes leak like a sieve.
This video was fascinating, informative - albeit, a bit sad. I had the pleasure of flying to Sydney (from Los Angeles) on an A380......and it was the most comfortable flight I've ever taken.
Quite apart from the covid pandemic and its impact on aviation the market conditions have changed in long-term perspective. The A380's are never going back into service, except possibly for a few kept on very well used very long-haul routes, e.g. London to Sydney. Even then only after the pandemic is under control. So most will be scrapped.
It's incredibly sad that a tiny protein particle only visible through an electron microscope can spell the end of a 500 ton behemoth; a masterpiece of human engineering.
Protein particles killed the Martians when they invaded in 1898. I hear they had big walking machines with heat rays. It was a good thing they got the flu.
They were a miserable plane for the vast majority of fliers in the Economy Section. 400 plus person check-in lines are the stuff of nightmares for fliers, and the size of the plane does not mean each passenger gets any more space. Also, it's not like a cruise ship, you are confined to the cabin where your seat is and cannot walk freely around like it was a cruise ship. Even the rear stairs at the back of the plane are roped off on some airlines.
@@robinsattahip2376 I have no clue in what A380 you have flown (if any) but your comment, while respectful as any other opinion, seems to be supported by some sort of irrational hatred for this plane or Airbus. Having had the opportunity to fly in this marvellous piece of engineering I have to say that my experiences are completely opposite to yours. Working in the tourism industry I had to travel A LOT and I can ensure you that the A380 is the most comfortable commercial plane I have ever flown in by a clear mile. I still remember the first time, I couldn't believe we were taking off in such a smooth way. The space is great even in the economy class (And I am a tall person so I really feel the lack of space). And the turbulence? Omg you really need a fucking bad weather to make that beast move. If I can have an "irrational" wish it would be to all planes be like this. Doing the same route with A380s and 777s and the first one wins by a clear mile in my opinion.
@@robinsattahip2376 I completely disagree. I flew in A380s many times and prefer them to any other model. I found that there is a little bit more space per person than the B777 or other planes. It is true that you couldn't move between decks (they are different classes) but I was always able to walk the entire deck I was on - like any other plane. I never saw anywhere near 400 people queuing at check-in. Either check-in online or get there early. I always walked straight up to the desk. It would really be a shame if this magnificent plane does not return.
Based on discussions with fleet operators I know and the known disclosures of the general health of the airline and manufacturing industry, it's highly unlikely the A380 will return to mainline service for almost every operator of the type except four; Emirates, ANA, Southern China and possibly Singapore Airlines. The rest will put them into storage until they can sell them to tier 2 operators (charter fleets). Even then, charter operators will find operating them expensive compared to other aircraft model options including B-747's which are also beginning to enter long term storage. Some airlines that still have B-747's in their fleet, have decided this time around, not to sell them to potential competitors and will scrap them for parts only. British Airways (June), Air France (January) and KLM (March) have all decommissioned the the B-747 over the past 12 months, before the Coronavirus pandemic started. British Airways and Lufthansa announced over the past month they have made the decision to accelerate their decommissioning and will not return to service because of the Coronavirus. KLM discontinued their use of the B-747 after one last flight to Mexico in March of this year. Air France decommissioned its last B-747 two months earlier in January (also Mexico). All the National European operators of the A380, British Airways (June), Air France (May) and Lufthansa (June) have announced will not return to service. Qantas announced it is withdrawing A380 and B-747s from its fleet in July. In fact, as I understand it, the very last Qantas B-747-400 flight, departed LAX for Sydney today (FL7474 - VH-OEJ) left at 2:00 PM local time today, July 22, 2020. It doesn't see demand or the economic viability of both types coming back. The grounding took immediate effect for the A380. When the airline announced it might be able to store and return the A380 to service in 2023, most analysts believe it is highly unlikely or viable. The airline has bigger problems including long term debt that while stable for the next 8 to 12 months, is not assured to remain so given the demand for international air travel to Australia has dropped 90% and will probably remain at extremely depressed levels for the next 3 years as global unemployment has skyrocketed. There are over 100 B-747-400's and approximately 12 to 20 B-747-8i models available for sale or lease this summer that have found no lessors or buyers to acquire them. This is because there is a high probability that of the 40 major national airlines around the world, it's likely we will see at least 4 of them permanently shut down through bankruptcy. That will bring a new glut of wide body twin aircraft onto the market that will sell long before the 4 engine jumbos. It's highly unlikely Singapore Airlines, Malaysia Airlines, Thai Airways and Korean Air will continue A380 flights that only make sense on 7+ hour intercontinental flights. The demand for such flights is not expected to rebound until the Spring of 2021 to only 50% of pre-coronavirus demand. And we haven't even talked about the glut of idle B-737 Max aircraft that will be on the market at fire sale prices over the next 5 years. Many airlines have cancelled existing orders because of the lack of demand for flights. There are B-737 NG's and Airbus A320's stacked up like chord wood all over the world awaiting to return to service. There are normally 30,000 commercial airline and cargo flights per day. Less than 10,000 today with many of those flying strictly cargo (30%). The overall load factors are down dramatically given the closure of international borders between North America and the European / Asian Continents. Have a nice flight!
It is a great shame that so many A380's will never be in service again. I have flown many times on them in business class and, no matter which airline is operating it, the aircraft is magnificent. Having spent a lot of my time in the air, I generally dislike flying, but always look forward to getting back on board an A380.
Nice video! I enjoyed the Airbus vs Boeing video also. Sad to see the big birds (B747 and A380) go into retirement or stored. Maybe you should do a video about airlines with the most aircraft or make a video about Singapore Airlines. You got my sub!
Hats of for the amezing fertaile brain that created the DC3- the unbeatable queen of the sky that join jungles and deserts in times of war and and peace and still flew after 70 years. The majestic lady!
It was a jet that didn't have a long shelf life built into it - Couldn't be used as a freighter due to its double decker aspects. Too bad, It was a very comfortable jet. I see them going to the grinder.
Just love the 747 and also the A380 they will be around just watch this space. After all we reduced our car sizes and look at us now driving big 4x4 SUV's !
The Airbus A380 is truly the most comfortable aircraft to experience. Spacious, extremely quiet and the level of fit & finish feels a step above. I hope the economic climate allows them to return to the skies. Many tout the Boeing 777 or 787 as the most comfortable but I find it to be abysmal unless you're in Business/First class.
A380 a remarkable aircraft. Hope it continues to remain in service for some time at least. On average how much does it cost the airline per month/year to keep the A380 in long term storage?
You guys should do a video or two on aircraft maintenance and the certification in the US, or Canada, or EASA. And explain how maintenance is regulated and more from that perspective.
Liked the professional presentation very much... It certainly has been a big burden for many airlines of when to retire these heavy planes, but the pandemic only made it accelerate. btw, I like the Narrartor's voice ! Sounds not too formal and not too leisurely :)
They are as awesome to fly in. I been flying in all the big birds out there. There's no match for the A380. Tried to get a last ride in early 2020 but the flight got cancelled due to Covid. So sad seeing it go down like this.
You need a very large fuselage to make an interior that business people will feel comfortable flying in again. Spacing, boxes with separate ventilation etc.
A big issue that not many have commented on is the infrastructure required to support the A380. When the aircraft was introduced to service, airports around the world were spending a lot of money upgrading runways and terminals to cope with the new aircraft. Most of the traveling public don't know or care of the ramifications that had. Delays, rescheduled flights and long cues at terminals in redevelopment. Ultimately it's the traveling public who payed for all of this. In more ways than one.
You can say the same about every increase in size of passenger airplanes in the last 100 years. Maybe we should still all land on dirt runways, or else the flying public might have to pay for upgrading to a paved runway.
Can you really see routine undercarrage wheel rotations and engine run ups for the Singapore Airline aircraft in Alice Springs? Hope they dont get 1 to 2 inches of rain when they want to get them out!
Thank you, Bill! There's a worldful of pilots & all other airline staff being unemployed. I don't think luck will be sufficient, we need our governments to open their eyes and see they will have to help us.
Great video that would be reasonably understandable by the average airline passenger. It shows that there is a decently thought out process that is already written down for dealing with jetliners being taken out of service for long time periods. You have a small percentage of the flying public that believes all those B737MAX jetliners got parked and have just been sitting there gathering dust and bird poop while the tires deflate.
I doubt that we will see any significant return of the A380 to service, the exception being Emirates who cannot afford to retire its fleet, The A380 was a failed experiment, most airlines have been unable to make the plane work for them economically and this will likely be the final nail in the coffin. I expect to see airlines such as Qantas retire the majority of their 380's and keep maybe 3 or 4 in service for the SYD - LAX, SYD - LHR and possibly SYD - DFW routes (although I expect the latter to move to a B787 / A350 before too long)
Emirates made a lot of profit from a380 it's been developed for them essentially. Great plane safe and comfortable. However being so big it can't land everywhere and if you lack passengers it turns non profitable quite fast. But at full capacity it is still the most profitable plane.
@@MrRedsjack yea, put other aircraft with same capacity and full, will also be profittable. And see the video, airliner may retire A380, because they see it is not really profittable and it can't fly anywhere. You need to see the real world here, not just profit or not
You would have to think air cargo companies would be licking their chops to get these jets at a discounted rate. The double deck design could offer incredibly versatile configurations for all types and sizes of freight, I imagine.
No mention of British Airways thoughts on the A380 which I believe is because they still like them to deliver lots of passengers in the very busy Heathrow slots (when the airport is running at normal capacity.)
Its the end of the A380. Pre C19 passenger figures though no one wants to admit to it are years away, business travels numbers are even further away as technology has changed that.
My thoughts, where I'm from in Canada. A new 737-200 with gravet kit seems like a good plan, a new plane with many options of mods for various conditions. Also, the Twin Otter is amazing.
I work for a major supplier to Airbus. Strangely enough, we're still making new parts for the A380. Seems weird since the A380 is being abandoned and some of them have actually been cut up for scrap metal already. Airbus gambled on the super-super jumbo and lost, bummer.