The SuperJumbo is Back! How to Fly on an A380

Aviation fans around the world breathed a huge sigh of relieve when a number of airlines reversed decisions to ground their Airbus A380 fleets following the Covid-19 pandemic.

Airlines like British Airways, Qantas, Singapore Airlines and Qatar Airways are all now opening up A380 schedules where previously their aircraft were parked up with an uncertain future.

Now’s the time to fly an A380

While this is great news, and it should see the A380 continue in revenue service for at least the next few years – especially with airlines like Emirates who have a large number of the type – you should not rest on your laurels if you haven’t yet tried the A380.

And I’m in that camp – I’ve never flown the SuperJumbo, and intend to do something about it very soon. Stay tuned!

Some airlines that have reactivated the A380 are only likely to keep it going in the short term, as they focus more on twin-engine types like the 787, A350 and A321XLR which are more suited to today’s capacity demands.

How to fly on an A380 in 2022

The most common airports to see the A380 are the main operating bases of the airlines listed below, as well as large hubs like London Heathrow, Dubai International, Frankfurt, Singapore and Tokyo Narita.

The airlines that are now operating the A380 (or plan to do so very soon) are:

All Nippon Airways

Flies its A380 “Flying Honu” aircraft exclusively between Tokyo Narita and Honolulu.

Asiana Airlines

Not yet flying, but expected to return its A380s to service as part of its merger with Korean Air.

British Airways

Reintroducing the type on its key North American routes, like Dallas Ft Worth, Los Angeles, Miami, San Francisco and Washington Dulles, as well as Dubai, Singapore and Johannesburg.

China Southern Airlines

B-6136 China Southern A380

Still flying a quiet schedule with its A380s, China Southern’s aircraft are based at Guangzhou and typically link to destinations like Amsterdam, Los Angeles, Melbourne, Paris CDG, Sydney, Tokyo Narita and Vancouver, as well as domestically to Beijing.

Emirates

The largest operator by far, and introducing new A380 routes all the time. Most are to Europe, China, North America, South America, Africa and even some short routes to the Middle East (Amman, Istanbul, Riyadh etc).

Korean Air

Only reintroducing its A380s for a couple of years. They will fly from Seoul Incheon to China and some other long haul routes.

Qantas

Its refurbished fleet is being brough back online, and will link Sydney with Los Angeles initially. But is also expected to return to destinations like Singapore, London Heathrow and parts of Asia.

Qatar Airways

Brought back reluctantly, Qatar Airways is reactivating its A380s to cover grounded A350s. They are flying on high density routes from Doha, such as London Heathrow and Paris CDG.

Singapore Airlines

As well as briefly flying the shortest A380 route, from Singapore to Kuala Lumpur, Singapore Airlines is reintroducing the SuperJumbo to London Heathrow and Sydney before the end of 2021.

Airbus A380 Routes List

Airport Spotting Premium Members have access to a regularly updated list of Airbus A380 routes, showing where all active operators of the type fly them.

To find out more and sign up for access, and many more benefits, click here.

Have you flown on an A380? Are you planning to fly one again soon? Leave a comment below!