Just about fifteen years ago, on October 25, 2007, people from all over the world were on hand at Singapore’s Changi Airport to be part of aviation history and celebrate the commercial introduction of the powerhouse Airbus A380. It was a happy day after years of anticipation for the superjumbo jet to finally perform its first revenue flight as it entered service with Singapore Airlines. With this milestone just around the corner, I thought it’d be fun to share some of the magic surrounding the aircraft’s inaugural passenger flight. Registered as 9V-SKA, the airplane performed its maiden flight on May 7 of that year and was delivered to Singapore Airlines on October 12. The carrier was excited to get the plane in the sky and looked forward to showcasing its many benefits, including 50 per cent more floor space than the next largest airliner.
It was heavily promoted that the A380 could fit well over 800 passengers. However, Singapore Airlines configured its aircraft to accommodate 471 over two decks in order to maximize revenue from premium passenger segments. Some passengers paid many thousands of dollars to snag a seat on that historic flight. However, for the four pilots on board the plane, the excitement was more subdued. Pilot Robert Ting noted that flying the plane was like controlling any other big jet, but admitted appreciating the modern technology that aided their complex task. He was treated like a rock star, at least for the day, as journalists interviewed him, passengers asked for his autograph, and everyone wanted him to pose for pictures.
SQ flight #380’s gates opened at 06:50. Passengers arrived extra early to attend the press conference and enjoy the buffet and music quartet. The A380-841 then emerged from the darkness to an ecstatic crowd. Boarding began at 07:15 on the dot and the plane pushed back at precisely 08:00 AM bound for Sydney Airport. The mammoth aircraft took about 40 seconds to rotate, using about 76 per cent of its maximum engine thrust. The airplane’s takeoff weight was 468 tons, with the passengers and crew accounting for just 8 per cent of that total while fuel made up another 28 per cent.
After leveling off, the 31-member cabin crew prepared champagne for passengers on board representing 35 different nationalities. Those flying enjoyed new amenities such as the next-generation Inflight Entertainment System loaded with 100 movies and 80 television shows. Yet, it was upstairs that grabbed the headlines. The customized Business Class leather seats in a 1-2-1 formation were fitted with 15.4 inch KrisWorld liquid crystal display screens, a sizable extravagance for the time. Additionally, the First Class Singapore Suites were the epitome of luxury during this period from the course by course dining service to the conversion of the plush recliner seats into fully flat beds fitted with mattress pads and comfortable duvets and the ultimate indulgence, sliding privacy doors.
The double-decker A380 emerged from low-lying cloud cover to fly over Sydney’s famous harbor before touching down at Kingsford Smith International Airport on time after a seven hour and six minute flight, a contrast to the two years of delays which had pushed its European manufacturer Airbus into a loss. Watched by hundreds of airport staff and aviation enthusiasts lining fences outside the airport, passengers on the inaugural Singapore Airlines flight disembarked without a hitch. History was made with that first revenue superjumbo flight and the plane would return to Singapore the following day.
Fast forward to 2020. When the worldwide Covid-19 pandemic struck early that year, commercial aviation was one of the casualties. For the Airbus A380, the decline was particularly sudden. According to Simple Flying, the world’s largest aviation news Web site, there were 223 A380s in operation as of March 1, 2020. (Airbus had only built 250 aircraft when manufacturing ended in 2021.) But by the end of that month, just 27 A380s were still flying. By mid-April, perhaps the worst month for Covid-19 related flight shutdowns (in the US alone, passenger count dropped about 95 per cent) just a handful were operating.
Almost all of these aircraft were parked for over a year. Why? A key factor was the cost of operating such a large plane, especially when there were other aircraft capable of doing the same job for less. The A380 was built for long-haul flights, which were severely affected by international travel restrictions and lack of demand. With international travel lagging far behind domestic travel, there simply wasn’t the demand for such long-haul aircraft carrying hundreds of passengers. Of course, many airliners were grounded, not just the A380. Others were converted into freighters, cannibalized for parts, or reduced to scrap. In 2020, a staggering 16,000 planes were parked worldwide. And with few passengers due to the pandemic and closed international borders, operating a thirsty 500-seat four-engine aircraft with at least a dozen crew members made no economic sense.
But, things have changed yet again and it appears the superjumbo is making a comeback with half the worldwide fleet back in service, according to data from Flightradar24, the global flight tracking service. Lufthansa was the latest carrier to announce the plane’s return, although not before next year, and there are reasons to believe that more A380s will progressively soar back into the skies. “It’s definitely having a comeback,” says Geoff Van Klaveren, an aviation analyst and managing director of advisory at the IBA Group. “Operators were quite reluctant to bring it back because it’s a very costly airplane, but I think we’ve seen demand recovering faster than people expected.” Singapore Air is currently flying ten out of its fleet of twelve, and it’s been confirmed to CNN that the remaining two are being retrofitted and will re-enter their fleet soon. Emirates, the largest A380 operator with 123 of the aircraft, is also ramping up. “Today we operate more than half of our A380s says Richard Jewsbury, divisional vice president for UK at the airline. “By the end of the year, we’re aiming to operate close to 90 A380s across our entire network.” That means that over a dozen more will join the ones currently in the air. The Dubai-based airline continues to show enthusiastic support for the aircraft.
While Airbus stopped producing the A380 at the close of 2021 due to low carrier demand, it will likely remain in the skies for a number of years, particularly thanks to Emirates. It’s a singular experience flying aboard the largest passenger airliner in the world and one I have been privileged to experience on a number of occasions with British Airways, Emirates Airlines and Singapore Airlines. I’m so pleased the A380‘s taken to the skies again after the worst of the pandemic and happy to recognize its 15th anniversary!
Until next time…safe travels.
All Suites Class passengers were treated to every luxury imaginable, including plush recliners converted into beds.