Airbus Updates No.4712

Qantas brings Airbus A380-retirement forward

During the presentation of its FY26-figures, Qantas announced it is moving the retirement of its A380-fleet forward. Initially, the plan was to begin phasing-out the type in 2032 but this is now being brought forward to 2028.

The airline has ten A380s in its fleet and has made this decision as it wants to tackle increasing operational risks and maintenance costs due to supply chain challenges with the aircraft being out of production.

Qantas is planning to replace the A380 with the twelve A350-1000s it has on order. These are the "regular" version of the A350 as the airline also has twelve A350-1000ULRs on order for its Project Sunrise. The first of which is expected to be delivered later this year. Apart from the A350-1000, it also has open widebody-orders with Boeing for four more B787-9s and eight B787-10s.

According to the press-release, Qantas is also in talks with both Airbus and Boeing to firm up options it holds for around 20 additional widebodies. Delivery of these should commence from 2030 onwards.

Today, the Qantas-fleet is consisting of seven A321neos, sixteen A330-200s, thirteen A330-300s, ten A380s, 79 B737-800s, and fourteen B787-9s.

Airbus Updates No.4659

Emirates Airbus A380 in Arsenal colours

To commemorate Arsenal winning the Premier League for the first time in 22 years, Arsenal sponsor Emirates (since 2006!) decided to repaint A380 A6-EOE (169) in special colours.

On both sides it shows Viktor Gyökeres, Martin Ødegaard, Declan Rice and Bukayo Saka with in the middle the Arsenal-crest and Champions.

It already made its first flight to, appropriately, London-Heathrow, on 29 May, as EK1.

Late afternoon on Saturday 30 May Arsenal will play in the UEFA Champions League final in Budapest, with Paris Saint Germain their opponents and current holders of the Champions League trophee.

This is a making off video of the Airbus at Dubai.

Credit: Emirates (Facebook)

Airbus Updates No.4605

 

Lufthansa to retrofit all A380s by mid-2027

Lufthansa (LH, Frankfurt International) has announced that all eight of its A380-800s will undergo cabin refurbishments and have new business class seats installed. The retrofits will conclude by mid-2027.

The first of the eight aircraft, D-AIMC (msn 44), will begin the retrofit at Elbe Flugzeugwerke facility in Dresden in February 2026 and is expected to return to service in April.

The airline will reduce the number of business class seats from the current 78 to 68. The A380s will also retain eight first-class suites, 52 premium economy seats, and 371 economy class seats for a total of 499 seats, compared to 509 currently.

Lufthansa underlined that it will "rely on an existing certification for this cabin upgrade, eliminating the need for a lengthy approval process". This choice avoids the snags that have plagued the carrier's new Allegris interior, comprising newly developed seats which have been delayed due to certification snags. The airline continues to operate its Allegris-outfitted B787-9s with most of business class blocked due to the lack of certification for the seats.

The German carrier's A380s are 13.8 years old on average and are all based out of Munich.

Airbus Updates No.4582

 Airbus November 2025 orders & deliveries

In November 2025, Airbus received 75 orders for new aircraft and was able to deliver 72 new aircraft. The details, as always, can be found below.

Ordered were:

• 6 A350Fs by Air China Cargo
• 6 A330-900s by Etihad Airways
• 30 A350-900s by IndiGo
• 1 ACJ320neo by a Private customer
• 2 A350Fs by Silk Way West Airlines
• 15 A320neos by two Undisclosed customers
• 7 A321neos by an Undisclosed customer
• 8 A350-1000s by an Undisclosed customer

Delivered were:

• 1 A330-900 to Air Algerie
• 1 A320neo to Air Arabia
• 1 A321neo to AirAsia
• 1 A220-300 to AirBaltic
• 1 A220-300 to Air Canada
• 1 A319neo to Air China
• 2 A321neos to Air China
• 2 A220-300s to Air France
• 1 A350-900 to Air France
• 1 A320neo to Avianca
• 2 A220-300s to Breeze Airways
• 1 A320neo to Cebu Pacific
• 2 A321neos to China Eastern Airlines
• 4 A320neos to China Southern Airlines
• 1 A220-300 to Delta Air Lines
• 1 A350-900 to Delta Air Lines
• 3 A321neos to Etihad Airways
• 2 A320neos to Frontier Airlines
• 1 A321neo to Frontier Airlines
• 1 A320neo to Hainan Airlines
• 1 A321neo to HK Express
• 2 A321neos to Iberia
• 1 A320neo to IndiGo
• 2 A321neos to IndiGo
• 1 A220-300 to ITA Airways
• 1 A330-900 to ITA Airways
• 1 A321neo to Jet2.com
• 1 A220-300 to JetBlue Airways
• 3 A321neos to Jetsmart Chile
• 1 A321neo to KLM
• 1 A321neo to Korean Air
• 2 A320neos to LATAM Airlines
• 1 A320neo to Lufthansa City Airlines
• 1 A330-900 to Malaysia Airlines
• 1 A320neo to Peach
• 1 A220-300 to QantasLink
• 3 A321neos to Qatar Airways
• 2 A350-1000s to Qatar Airways
• 1 ACJ330-800 to Royal Brunei Sultan Flight
• 1 A320neo to Shenzhen Airlines
• 1 A321neo to Shenzhen Airlines
• 3 A321neos to Turkish Airlines
• 5 A321neos to United Airlines
• 1 A321neo to VietjetAir
• 1 A320neo to Volaris
• 2 A321neos to Wizz Air
• 1 A320neo to Xiamen Airlines

In total, Airbus has now received 797 orders and 97 cancellations, leaving a net of 700 for 2025. The number of delivered aircraft stands at 657.

Airbus Updates No.4470

 

Former Lufthansa and Malaysia Airlines A380s 

to be scrapped

Three A380-800s formerly operated by Lufthansa and Malaysia Airlines will be scrapped for parts by VAS Aero Services. The company announced it will dismantle D-AIME (msn 61), D-AIMF (msn 66), and EI-HKC (ex 9M-MNC, msn 84), all currently owned by Airbus Financial Services.

The harvested components are set to be sold in the secondary parts market, while the Rolls-Royce Trent 900 engines will be available for lease.

The company claims it still sees strong demand for A380 parts. "With deliveries of Boeing’s 777X platform delayed until at least 2026, there is an increasing reliance on the A380 to fill the need for large, long-haul aircraft," said Tommy Hughes, the chief executive officer of VAS Aero Services.

The teardown of the three aircraft will be conducted in collaboration with Tarmac Aerosave.

According to the ch-aviation fleets module, D-AIME, D-AIMF, and EI-HKC have been stored since 2020. The ex-Lufthansa A380-800s were produced in 2010 and are currently stored at Teruel. The aircraft previously used by Malaysia Airlines rolled out in 2012 and is parked at Lourdes/Tarbes.

Airbus produced 254 A380-800s, but only 182 remain in service. The biggest operator of the quadjet is Emirates, which currently operates 118 of the aircraft.

In total, Lufthansa operated fourteen A380-800s but only eight are active at the moment. Malaysia Airlines fully retired its A380 fleet, which consisted of six aircraft, by 2022.

Airbus Updates No.4357

New special livery for an Emirates Airbus A380

Emirates has unveiled a new special livery on one of its Airbus A380s. This time, the airline is promoting The Emirates Airlines Foundation, its non-profit charity organisation.

The A380 involved is A6-EEP (138), which was in for maintenance in August and returned to service with its new livery on 31 August 2024.

Emirates now has five A380s in a special livery:

• A6-EEP (138), The Emirates Airlines Foundation livery
• A6-EES (140), Destination Dubai livery
• A6-EEU (147), Destination Dubai livery
• A6-EOE (169), Wimbledon Official Partner livery
• A6-EOT (204), Destination Dubai livery

Photo by Emirates.

Airbus Updates No.4310

 

PUBLISHED: 28 JUNE 2024 

      

A6-EOE (169) now has large Wimbledon-decals applied to its aft fuselage and is set to make its debut to London-Heathrow on 1 July 2024.

According to the airline's press-statement, the decals will remain on the aircraft during the whole tournament and is also planned to be used on flights to Barcelona, Brisbane, Casablanca, Manchester, New York-JFK (NY), Paris-Charles de Gaulle, Perth, Washington (DC), and Zürich.

Photo by Emirates.

Airbus Updates No.4217

 

UK's Global Airlines secures ex-China Southern A380

Global Airlines has "taken full 100% ownership" of an A380-800 formerly operated by China Southern Airlines (CZ, Guangzhou), the start-up's CEO, James Asquith, announced.

"Buying an aircraft outright with no debt, no lease and no financing is no small task," he said. "Some things take a little longer to do when you have full asset ownership, but we are convinced this will set Global up well in the long run."

The 11.37-year-old aircraft was registered as B-6140 (msn 120) while flying for China Southern and was withdrawn from use and ferried to Mojave in late 2022. Kansas-based Jet Midwest confirmed it assisted Global with the acquisition, and on February 2, 2024, the aircraft was entered into the Maltese register as 9H-GLOBL. Hi Fly Malta (3L, Malta International) is the temporary registrant and will assist Global with the A380's ferry flight "in the next few weeks, with its next destination announced in due course."

Global aspires to operate trans-Atlantic flights using mixed-configuration A380s. However, it recently delayed its planned 2024 northern summer debut to later in the year.

In May 2023, Global Airlines announced it had acquired its initial A380-800 from Doric Asset Finance. That plane, 9H-MIP (msn 6), was first operated Singapore Airlines (SQ, Singapore Changi) and later leased by Hi Fly Malta. However, Hi Fly retired the plane in 2020. The aircraft has since been repainted into Global's livery but remains stored at Lourdes/Tarbes. Asquith's commentary on the weekend did not include an update on 9H-MIP.

Airbus Updates No.4112

 Global Airlines to collaborate with Hi Fly

UK start-up has contracted Aircraft, Crew, Maintenance and Insurance (ACMI) specialist Hi Fly to accelerate the launch of the airline's operations. According to the airline's press-release, "Global Airlines will benefit from Hi Fly's expertise to accelerate the entry into service programme for the airline's new fleet".

Both companies will work together to get the four Airbus A380s acquired by Global ready, leveraging the expertise Hi Fly has had as the first secondary-market user of the A380. Hi Fly is also going to operate the A380 until Global Airlines is able to secure its own Air Operator's Certificate (AOC).

The statement also mentions that both will "explore further ways to broaden their collaboration, united by a passion for the aircraft, and a shared belief in its enduring potential and appeal".

The first Airbus A380 acquired by Global Airlines is former Hi Fly 9H-MIP (006), which has been stored at Tarbes-Lourdes since March 2021. According to the press-release it will be re-registered as 9H-GLOBL. The airframes of the other three A380s is currently unknown.

Airbus Updates No.4103

 

Lufthansa to keep A380s through late 2020s-early 2030s

Lufthansa Airbus A380-800© Lufthansa Group

18.09.2023 - 10:11 UTC

Lufthansa (LH, Frankfurt International) plans to continue operating A380-800s through the late 2020s or early 2030s to backfill capacity missing due to delayed B777-9 and A350 aircraft deliveries.

"It depends on demand and when Airbus and Boeing are able to deliver other airplanes," Lufthansa Group Chief Executive Carsten Spohr told Flightglobal.

The German carrier retired all fourteen A380s at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic and initially was committed to the type's permanent exit. However, as demand rebounded after the relaxation of travel restrictions, the airline decided to reactivate six aircraft. It recently committed to reintroducing another two. The other six units were sold to Airbus during the pandemic.

So far, Lufthansa has reactivated three A380s, using them on services from Munich to Boston and New York JFK. One more aircraft is under maintenance at Manila Ninoy Aquino International airport, while the others remain in storage.

Spohr confirmed that all eight aircraft will undergo cabin refurbishment and will have Lufthansa's much-awaited new business class seats installed in the coming years.

The carrier has firm orders for thirty-four A350-900s (on top of 21 already in its fleet and five more ordered for subsidiary Swiss), ten A350-1000s, and twenty B777-9s. While the A350s are being delivered, just behind schedule, the B777-9 is stuck in a lengthy certification drive and will not enter service before 2025.

Airbus Updates No.4091

Thai Airways offers Airbus A380s for sale

Thai Airways has begun the process of selling all six of its Airbus A380s in an “as-is, where-is” condition. Back in November 2022 we reported on the airline considering putting them back in service as passenger demand increased, but they since have gone back on that decision.

The airline sent out an invitation to interested parties on 23 August 2023, offering them the opportunity to bid on the A380s. All six were stored during the beginning of the pandemic between March and April 2020, with Thai Airways never bringing them back to service.

Bidders interested in acquiring any of the aircraft are welcome to put forth their proposals as well as a $50,000 deposit (per aircraft) no later than 11:59 pm Bangkok time (UTC +7) on 12 September 2023.

By completing the purchase of the aircraft, the buyer would also have to fly their aircraft out of Thailand or would have them dismantled on site. No Airworthiness Directives (AD) or Service Bulletins (SB) were completed on the aircraft. None of the six had their most recent C-checks completed, including two with C3 checks scheduled in May and June 2019.

All aircraft have a three-class layout, with twelve Royal First Class (Venus by Safran), sixty Royal Executive Class (Solstys by Stelia), and 435 Economy Class (CL3510 by Recaro) seats onboard.

Currently, the status of the aircraft is:

• HS-TUA (087), delivered on 28 September 2012 and parked at Bangkok-Suvarnabhumi since 26 March 2020.
• HS-TUB (093), delivered on 29 November 2012 and parked at Bangkok-Suvarnabhumi since 1 April 2020.
• HS-TUC (100), delivered on 21 December 2012 and parked at Bangkok-Suvarnabhumi since 2 April 2020.
• HS-TUD (122), delivered on 22 March 2013 and parked at Bangkok-Suvarnabhumi since 31 March 2020.
• HS-TUE (125), delivered on 29 October 2013 and parked at U-Tapao since 14 April 2020
• HS-TUF (131), delivered on 29 November 2013 and parked at U-Tapao since 14 April 2020

Airbus Updates No.4061

 

UK's Global Airlines buys three more A380s

Global Airlines Airbus A380-800© Global Airlines

05.07.2023 - 08:34 UTC

Global Airlines has bought three more A380-800s ahead of its planned spring 2024 launch as a premium transatlantic carrier.

The start-up did not disclose the identity of the three aircraft and did not respond to ch-aviation's request for comment. Global Airlines' first A380 was acquired from Doric Asset Finance. The ch-aviation fleets ownership module shows the lessor owns a further 17 of the type, including one stored and 16 still placed with Emirates (EK, Dubai International).

"As I've always said, the A380 is the best aircraft in the sky, and we will continue to look for further acquisition opportunities," Founder and Chief Executive James Asquith said.

While the airline has yet to reveal its exact business plan, it plans to focus on the UK-US transatlantic market. Asquith told ch-aviation that announcements would be forthcoming shortly, adding that the start-up has been preparing to launch for two years already. At this point, however, he did not disclose whether the airline would seek its own AOC or use a production partner.

Airbus Updates No.4012

 

UK's Global Airlines acquires first A380

Global Airlines Airbus A380-800© Global Airlines

31.05.2023 - 11:45 UTC

Global Airlines, a British start-up planning to operate premium intercontinental services from London Gatwick in Spring 2024, has acquired its first A380-800 from lessor Doric Asset Finance.

The start-up said it chose to buy rather than lease the aircraft as it "showcases our commitment to financial security and resilience from day one".

"The purchase of our first aircraft demonstrates that we are well on the way to launching Global. The next step is to overhaul and refit the aircraft to our high specification, providing our customers with the best experience in the sky today," Chief Executive and Founder James Asquith said.

The German lessor confirmed the transaction.

"We are proud to have placed this beautiful modern aircraft with a new airline that will soon take to the skies. We are confident that Global Airlines will acquire more A380 aircraft in the near future," Managing Partner Sibylle Paehler said.

The lessor owns seventeen more A380s, all of them placed with Emirates (EK, Dubai International) (one retired by the airline and parked at Dubai World Central), the ch-aviation fleets ownership module shows.

9H-MIP (msn 6) was initially delivered to Singapore Airlines (SQ, Singapore Changi) in 2008 and subsequently leased by Hi Fly Malta (3L, Malta International) in 2018. The Maltese ACMI/charter specialist retired it in 2020 struggling to find enough business for the type. The aircraft remains parked at Lourdes/Tarbes and registered in Malta but has been repainted into Global's livery.

The start-up said it is planning to acquire another three A380s shortly and aims to outfit them with around 471 passenger seats each, including high-end first-class suites.

Global Airlines said it would outline its network plans later in 2023. The start-up previously floated plans to connect Gatwick with long-haul destinations around the world but now said it would initially focus on the transatlantic market.

Global Airlines has a registered capital of GBP100 pounds (USD123), fully paid by founder Asquith. The start-up is reportedly backed by Asquith's other business venture, Holiday Swap, a privately-held holiday accommodation provider.

Airbus Updates No.3890

 

Malaysia Airlines says goodbye to its A380s

On 19 December 2022, Malaysia Airlines officially said goodbye to the Airbus A380 by flying its last one from Kuala Lumpur to Tarbes-Lourdes for storage. The A380 in question was 9M-MNF (114), which had its titles and logos removed, expect for the "100th A380" stickers.

Malaysia Airlines has traded-in its Airbus A380s as part of a deal it signed with Airbus for new A330-900s. In total, the airline operated six A380s between 2012 and 2020:

• 9M-MNA (078), delivered on 29 May 2012, retired on 7 February 2020 and flown to Tarbes-Lourdes on 12 December 2022.
• 9M-MNB (081), delivered on 10 August 2012, retired on 7 March 2020 and flown to Tarbes-Lourdes on 28 November 2022.
• 9M-MNC (084), delivered on 26 October 2012, retired on 26 February 2020 and flown to Tarbes-Lourdes on 14 November 2022.
• 9M-MND (089), delivered on 31 October 2012, retired on 20 April 2020 and ferried to Tarbes-Lourdes on 21 November 2022.
• 9M-MNE (094), delivered on 7 February 2013, retired on 11 February 2020 and arrived at Tarbes-Lourdes on 5 December 2022.
• 9M-MNF (114), delivered on 13 March 2013, retired on 30 April 2020 and ferried to Tarbes-Lourdes on 19 December 2022.

With the departure of the A380, Malaysia Airlines' fleet now consists of nine A330-200s, fifteen A330-300s, six A350-900s, and 43 Boeing B737-800s.

Airbus Updates No.3871

Lufthansa brings back 1st Airbus A380

Following-up on our article of 28 June 2022, we can now report that Lufthansa has taken a first Airbus A380 out of storage. The aircraft, D-AIMK (146), was ferried from Teruel in Spain to Frankfurt on 2 December 2022. Here it will receive first maintenance before being ferried to Manila for heavy maintenance. It's planned to have the aircraft back in service at the start of the 2023 summer season in March.

The ferry-flight was conducted with its gear down as Lufthansa couldn't test if the gear would retract as normal at Teruel.

Lufthansa is reactivating the type as it's facing a big increase in post-Covid customer demand and its new Boeing B777-9s are delayed. The airline has eight remaining A380s in the fleet and it's expected that up to six will be reactivated. The plan is to operate the aircraft mainly out of Munich.

Photo by Lufthansa.

Airbus Updates No.3859

Thai Airways considering return of the A380

The increase in passenger demand is prompting Thai Airways to investigate the possibility to re-introduce the Airbus A380 in the fleet. Although a final decision hasn't been made, the return would be for three to four years and only three or four aircraft, with the remaining aircraft act as spare.

Thai Airways has operated a fleet of six A380s, which have been phased-out during the Corona-pandemic. Since then, the airline has tried, unsuccessfully, to sell the two aircraft it owned. Currently, the status of the aircraft is:

• HS-TUA (087), delivered on 28 September 2012 and parked at Bangkok-Suvarnabhumi since 26 March 2020.
• HS-TUB (093), delivered on 29 November 2012 and parked at Bangkok-Suvarnabhumi since 1 April 2020.
• HS-TUC (100), delivered on 21 December 2012 and parked at Bangkok-Suvarnabhumi since 2 April 2020.
• HS-TUD (122), delivered on 22 March 2013 and parked at Bangkok-Suvarnabhumi since 31 March 2020.
• HS-TUE (125), delivered on 29 October 2013 and parked at U-Tapao since 14 April 2020
• HS-TUF (131), delivered on 29 November 2013 and parked at U-Tapao since 14 April 2020

Airbus Updates No.3851

China Southern ends A380-operations

On 6 November 2022, China Southern conducted its final Airbus A380-flight and has now officially ended operations with the type. The final flight was carried out by A380 B-6139 (088), which flew as CZ328 from Los Angeles (CA) to Guangzhou. The semi-final flight was carried out on 4 November 2022 by B-6140 (120), when it flew as CZ308 from Amsterdam to Guangzhou.

The retirement of the A380 doesn't come as a surprise, as it was already announced in February of this year.

The airline has operated the A380 for just eleven years, after welcoming its first aircraft on 12 October 2011. In total, China Southern Airlines had a fleet of five A380s, which are now currently at:

• B-6136 (031), parked at Mojave (CA) since 24 February 2022
• B-6137 (036), parked at Mojave (CA) since 24 February 2022
• B-6138 (054), parked at Guangzhou since 12 October 2022
• B-6139 (088), parked at Guangzhou since 7 November 2022
• B-6140 (120), parked at Guangzhou since 5 November 2022

It's expected that the final three A380s that are currently at Guangzhou will join the other two for storage in the US soon.

Airbus Updates No.3813

 

Malaysia Airlines to return A380s to Airbus by 2023

Malaysia Airlines Airbus A380-800© Airbus Industrie

30.09.2022 - 00:40 UTC

Malaysia Aviation Group (MAG), the parent company of Malaysia Airlines (MH, Kuala Lumpur Int'l), is returning its six inactive A380-800s to Airbus in a deal reportedly reached during recent negotiations to acquire twenty A330-900Ns. The first of the A380s - 9M-MNA (msn 78) - only arrived at the airline in 2012. Collectively, they were deployed on select routes to Europe, Australia, and within Asia.

Malaysia Airlines parked its A380s in 2020 at the start of the pandemic. In July 2021, the airline issued a Request for Proposal (RFP) soliciting bids for the sale of the six planes but attracted no serious interest.

In mid-August 2022, MAG ordered twenty A330neo jets on behalf of Malaysia Airlines. A total of 10 planes will be directly purchased from Airbus with a back-to-back sale/lease-back arrangement with Avolon, while the remaining 10 will be leased directly from Avolon. When the deal was announced, there was no mention of the fine print facilitating the A380s return. According to the ch-aviation fleets advanced module, all six Malaysia Airlines A380s are inactive and stored at Kuala Lumpur International Airport.

"The plan is for Airbus to take back all the aircraft by the end of this year. It's up to them what they want to do with the aircraft." an airline source told Malaysia's New Straits Times, adding that discussions about precise return dates and where the A380s would be sent are ongoing.

In a statement provided to ch-aviation, a Malaysia Airlines spokesperson said that "Malaysia Aviation Group plans to retire and exit A380 by the end of 2022. However, the terms related to the deal with Airbus remain confidential." Airbus also declined to provide further details, citing confidentiality.

Airbus Updates No.3725

A380 to return at Lufthansa?

German aviation news site aero.de is reporting that Lufthansa is considering reactivating the A380 to cope with a higher than anticipated demand for flights. According to the site, the airline is thinking of reactivating either eight A380s (six in service, two as back-up) or four (three in service, one as back-up). A final decision has not been taken.

However, Lufthansa might decide on a whole different approach to cope with the increased demand as Boeing has approached the airline if they would be interested in taking on four to six white-tailed B777-300ERs. A white-tail is an aircraft produced for a customer but of which the deal fell through.

Today, Lufthansa is not operating any passenger B777s and its fourteen A380s are stored at Tarbes-Lourdes and Teruel.

Airbus Updates No.3794

 

China Southern Airlines to retire A380s by YE22

China Southern A380-800© China Southern

01.03.2022 - 14:31 UTC

China Southern Airlines (CZ, Guangzhou) is set to retire all of its remaining A380-800s by the end of 2022, Chinese media has reported.

The Chinese carrier owns and operates five A380s, which are 10.3 years old on average, the ch-aviation fleets advanced module shows. The first two, B-6136 (msn 31) and B-6137 (msn 36), were retired from revenue service in late October and early November 2021, respectively. On February 24, both aircraft were ferried from Guangzhou via Victorville to Mojave for storage, Flightradar24 ADS-B data shows. For the time being, the other three remain in active service, although each of them operates only every few days. The type is deployed to Amsterdam Schiphol, London Heathrow, Los Angeles Int'l, Sydney Kingsford Smith, and Melbourne Tullamarine, the ch-aviation schedules module indicates.

China Southern Airlines is the only A380 operator in China. It stood out during the COVID-19 pandemic as it has never fully grounded the type, although its utilisation was minimal. In April 2021, as other airlines were revealing plans to reactivate their A380s, the Chinese airline was much more hesitant to commit to their long-term operation.

Once the A380s are retired, China Southern Airlines' largest widebody aircraft type by passenger capacity will be the B777-300(ER)s, seating up to 361 passengers each. Its A380s can seat up to 506 passengers each. The airline never operated B747s in passenger configuration, although it does have two B747-400(FSCD)s.