How many airbus 380s are in service

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The Airbus A is one of the most popular jets among passengers, thanks to what may well be the smoothest ride on a commercial aircraft. Airlines have used the vast interior space of the largest passenger plane to innovate and improve the in-flight experience by adding onboard bars, lounges and even showers. Unfortunately, the A has fallen from grace as airlines have opted to instead fly more efficient twin-engine jets like the Boeing and Airbus A Things got so dire that last year that Airbus announced it would be permanently ending production of the A And then, of course, the coronavirus pandemic hit, grounding thousands of aircraft worldwide.

At the moment every A in the world is grounded , with the exception of those operated by China Southern Airlines. This is especially true of the A, a plane that was always a bit too big for most airlines to fly economically. For more TPG news delivered each morning to your inbox, sign up for our daily newsletter. Despite being headquartered in the same country as Airbus, Air France was never a fan of its A fleet. Airbus has retired its entire fleet of 9 As effective immediately; one had already been phased out.

ANA has also found a unique use for these jets, flying them exclusively between Tokyo and Honolulu , a popular and competitive leisure route. Still, given how shiny and new these planes are, at under a year old, it would be outrageously expensive for ANA to retire them now.

Expect to see the Flying Honu in the skies for a while, though ANA might need to consider deploying it on alternate routes to turn a profit on the giant plane. The carrier had been in poor financial shape before the coronavirus pandemic and has always had trouble filling its As. Elsewhere, fellow Oneworld operator Qantas has said that it is likely to fly its As again — but not for some time. Qantas plans to return As to service, but not until international markets recover.

Malaysia Airlines — which has for years struggled to find a role for its six examples of the type — operated some A cargo flights in the early months of the pandemic, but most carriers have focused such operations on their twin-engined widebodies. And cargo-focused airports are unlikely to have invested in the infrastructure to accept A flights. Hi Fly converted its A to a cargo configuration but it was later withdrawn from service. Of the chances for further second-hand sales of the type, most industry analysts suggest that such opportunities will be few and far between.

Rather than returning to service with other carriers, Sobie reckons most retired airframes are likely to end up as spare parts. The consensus among analysts is, however, that while the A will be seen in some markets for the next few years, the focus will be very much on ramping down fleet sizes.

Air France nine As in pre-pandemic fleet : The SkyTeam carrier announced in May that it would retire its As immediately, rather than in as previously scheduled. ANA two : The operator took delivery of its third and final A in October last year and immediately placed it into storage. Asiana six : With the Star Alliance carrier in the process of merging with compatriot Korean Air, details on future fleet plans have been sketchy.

A Unique passenger experience. The iconic A has flown over , flights carrying more than million passengers since its entry into service. As production comes to a close, the A will keep flying for decades to come, and Airbus is continuing to fully support A operators and their fleets. Flying for decades to come Boarding an A is a unique experience that introduces passengers to superior standards of in-flight comfort, from first class to economy. A Airspace. Learn more about our Airbus Family Portfolio.

A Family. Corporate Jets. Freighter Family. Taylor Rains. The Airbus A , which made its first test flight on April 27, , is the largest passenger airliner in the world. However, Airbus announced production of the jumbojet would end at the end of due to low demand from carriers. In November, Emirates will receive the last three As produced, marking the end of an era for the double-decker jet.

Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories. During the s, Airbus' AB was the new kid in the world of commercial airliners.

By the early s, Airbus was in a much different position. Its narrow-body A family, which helped pioneer civilian fly-by-wire technology, was well on its way to becoming the second-best-selling jetliner in history. At the same time, the company unveiled its new A The two jets offered viable alternatives to Boeing's and wide-bodies. But Airbus has set its sights on a bigger target Airbus wanted to produce an aircraft even bigger than Boeing's latest jumbo jet — with lower operating costs.

The result was a double-decker concept called the A3XX. The A3XX would eventually morph into the A superjumbo. The A is built in a 1. At feet long, 79 feet tall, and feet from wingtip to wingtip, it's a big plane. Only the Boeing is longer, at feet and two inches although the A can carry many more passengers. According to Airbus, in a typical four-class seating arrangement, the superjumbo can carry as many as passengers, with a range of more than 9, miles.

In a high-density configuration, the A is certified to carry as many as passengers — on the main deck, on the upper floor. The A's flight crew operates from a state-of-the-art glass cockpit. Like all modern Airbus jets, the aircraft is flown using a side stick, with a fly-by-wire control system. After its maiden flight, the A completed a flight-test program before entering commercial service in As an airliner, the A promised luxury and comfort on an unprecedented scale.

The Airbus jumbo delivered, at least to airlines that wanted to take advantage of luxurious options. Premium features, such as walk-up bars And then there are the first-class suites that Emirates offers It's a square-foot flying home.

On October 15, , Singapore Airlines took delivery of the first production A Soon, other global airlines, such as Korean Air British Airways Malaysia Airlines Thai Airways