It appears that jumbos are nearing the end of their useful life. Another airline, China Southern Airlines, has ceased operations with the Airbus A380. China Southern’s A380 made its final revenue flight on November 7 from Los Angeles to Guangzhou.
The aircraft used, B-6139, is the last of five A380s in China Southern’s fleet. As a result, the airline joins the ranks of those gradually retiring their A380 fleet. Qatar Airways was also planning to retire their A380 fleet, but they were forced to postpone their plans after Airbus cancelled all outstanding orders. Malaysia Airlines is retiring its entire A380 fleet, while Singapore Airlines, the A380’s initial customer, has begun to retire some.
B-6140 was retired on November 5, with the remaining three units departing the fleet beginning in October 2021. The routes to Los Angeles and Amsterdam Schiphol, which were previously served by A380s, will now be flown by B787-9s and A350-900s, respectively.
China Southern Airlines’ first two A380s, which will be retired in 2021, have already been transported to Mojave for storage. The three units, which were in service until October/November 2022, are still at Guangzhou Airport.
Flying through the pandemic
Unlike most airlines, China Southern Airlines operated irregular A380 flights throughout the pandemic and was never grounded. However, China Southern announced in early 2022 that the aircraft would be retired by the end of 2022. They will be replaced by longer-range, more fuel-efficient twin-jet aircraft such as the A350 and B787.
Since the pandemic took its toll on the industry, airlines around the world have begun to transition to longer-range, more efficient twin-jet aircraft. Only a few airlines still use quad-jets, most notably the A380 and the Boeing 747. Emirates (A380), Etihad Airways (A380), Qatar Airways (A380), Lufthansa (both A380 and 747-8I), Korean Air (both A380 and 747-8I), Singapore Airlines (A380), British Airways (A380), Air France (A380), and Air China are just a few examples (747-8I). Other airlines, such as Cathay Pacific, use the freighter version of the 747-8.
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