Ich bin mit dem Airbus A380 rund 12 Stunden von Frankfurt nach Singapur geflogen – so war es (2023)

FAQs

How many passengers can an Airbus A380 carry? ›

The full-length double-deck aircraft has a typical seating for 525 passengers, with a maximum certified capacity for 853 passengers. The quadjet is powered by Engine Alliance GP7200 or Rolls-Royce Trent 900 turbofans providing a range of 8,000 nmi (14,800 km).

The four-engine A380 is only profitable with a high load factor, and only the world's largest airports have facilities to handle the aircraft. Such reasons led Lufthansa CEO to declare the craft “permanently decommissioned.” Just over 250 giant A380 aircraft were built before production ended in 2021.

Not surprisingly, the double-deck A380 is, in most respects, larger than the single-deck 777. And, of course, with two decks, the A380 carries more passengers, typically 500 to 600. However, some 777s can accommodate more than 400 passengers.

Boeing claims that the 747-8 is more cost-effective per seat per mile than any other aircraft. However, Airbus claims that the A380 is the most efficient jet in the world. It does not make much sense to compare the two jets in fuel burn and seat-mile cost. The planes are considerably different in size.

Even carriers with three class, low-density A380s are flying with 165 more seats. For American Airlines, it's just too big. That's likely the case for most other US airlines too. It was a common complaint with those that did operate the type: it was just too hard to fill.

The A380 features an 8,200 nautical-mile range (15,200 km), enabling it to service some of the longest routes in commercial aviation.

The Airbus A380 is the largest passenger airliner in the world, with Emirates as its biggest customer. However, Airbus stopped production of the jumbo jet at the end of 2021 due to low demand from carriers.

Winner: A380 - Bigger seats, more award availability, a bar, and a shower. Easy.

Is the A380 the safest plane? ›

Airbus A380 is not only the largest but also one of the most reliable in terms of safety. It is an aviation safety-focused aircraft that has never experienced a fatal crash.

The A380 production ended with the departure of former Airbus CEO Tom Enders due to a lack of demand; the company had 17 orders in the backlog. After Emirates cut its A380 order by 39 aircraft, leaving just 14 on the backlog, the final decision was reached to terminate production on the A380.

How many airports can the A380 fly to? According to Airbus, the A380 is compatible with over 140 small and large airports for regular service worldwide, and up to 400 airports when adding diversion airports.

To maintain level flight with a single engine, its thrust of 356.81 kN (80,210 lbf) would need to produce sufficient power to maintain a cruise speed of Mach 0.85 (903 km/h; 488 knots). However, this speed is impossible for a single-engine to provide.

Update: The take-off speed of an A380 depends on various factors such as weight, fuel, weather conditions etc. The wheels go up just after V2 (safe take-off speed), at a positive rate of climb. Under typical conditions, it is usually between 150-170 knots (170-195 mph or 275-310 kph).

From March 27, 2022, Boston (BOS), Chicago (ORD), Vancouver (YVR), and Washington, D.C. (IAD) will be added to BA's A380 route network, joining Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW), Miami (MIA), and San Francisco (SFO), which was previously announced.

Airbus A380s In The United States: There Are Now 2 Giants On The N Register. Both A380s will unlikely ever fly with their N registration. No American airlines ever went through with an order for the Airbus A380.

In addition to demanding airport modifications for its huge passenger load and million-pound bulk, economics demand that it be flown full to pay its enormous hourly costs. These have been estimated at between $26,000 and $29,000 per hour, using roughly $17,467 of fuel, or approximately $40.19 to $44.82 per mile.

The average hourly rental rate of the Airbus A380 is around 37,150 USD per hour.

How much fuel does an A380 use per mile? ›

Airbus states a fuel rate consumption of their A380 at less than 3 L/100 km per passenger (78 passenger-miles per US gallon). Newer aircraft like the Boeing 787 Dreamliner, Airbus A350 and Bombardier CSeries, are 20% more fuel efficient per passenger kilometre than previous generation aircraft.

Quantas came top of the table thanks to "an amazing record of firsts in operations and safety" leading it to be "accepted as the industry's most experienced airline," according to the air safety rating site.

Airbus is extensively utilized by commercial airlines and is among the safest planes on the market, right alongside Boeing. In terms of safety, some of the most impressive jumbo jets on the market are the Airbus A330 and the members of the Airbus 320 family, which also includes the A318, A319, and the A321.

According to experts, the model (737-800) is considered to be the safest aircraft ever made. The 737-800 belongs to the aviation giant's next-generation aircraft which also includes 600, 700, and 900.

Longest flight currently in operation

Depending on weather conditions, the A380 can complete the journey somewhere between 15 hours and 20 minutes and 16 hours and 20 minutes.

Abu Dhabi-based Etihad Airways recently decided that it would bring back the Airbus A380 to support its summer 2023 schedule. With the news, over 70% of the original A380 operators are planning to fly the giant of the skies next summer, though it doesn't look like further airlines will join them.

So far it appears that only four of their Supers are in active service, operating between Bangkok, Seoul and Los Angeles. One aircraft has been in long term storage since March 2020, while the other was stored in July 2022.

Eight airlines are flying the Airbus A380 during January 2023. Over the past year, London Heathrow has hosted the most A380 operators. Now Sydney Airport has joined London Heathrow in the top spot, with each airport welcoming the giant of the skies from five carriers.

In most cases, the success of the A380 was short-lived, and its position as Airbus' flagship aircraft soon came to an end. On the other hand, its successor, the more nimble twinjet A350, is proving itself fit for the future.

Passengers that fly First class can expect a superior experience with plenty of legroom, reclining seats, meal choices, full bar service or bartender, in-flight entertainment and Wi-Fi. It is a very comfortable and luxurious experience for each passenger who gets personal attention from flight staff.

Is it better to sit upstairs or downstairs on A380? ›

If you're travelling on the A380 superjumbo you have two decks to choose from – upper or lower deck. Generally, sitting on the upper deck is preferable because of the usually smaller cabin and lower density configuration (2-4-2 vs. 3-4-3).

Do pilots prefer Boeing or Airbus? Pilots will always differ in opinion. The general feeling is that Airbus aircraft on the narrowbodies (A320 etc) are slightly more comfortable in terms of space in the flight deck than a 737 for example.

The A380's rapid retirement

However, there are some key operational differences that put the A380 at a disadvantage: The A380 is harder to fill and can only be used on high-volume routes. Its wingspan limits the number of airports it can access. It's expensive to operate, especially without a full profitable payload.

Atlanta's airport has only one gate that can accommodate the A380 – the world's largest airliner.

For Airbus aircraft, it is located next to the cockpit above first class like Boeing. For the bigger Airbus A380, the pilot rest is located above the cockpit door on the lower deck, but before where the second level cabin begins.

Get Simon Calder's Travel email. The pilot of an Airbus A380 aircraft has revealed the “secret” hatch crew go down in order to rest beneath passenger seats on a long flight.

The A380 burns an average of 4,600 gals (11,400 l) of fuel per hour, but this is a ballpark figure and varies wildly based on the altitude and other performance factors. The total cost per hour for fuel for an A380 will be $22,080 (€20,570) at the rate of $4.80 a gallon.

A plane needs balance to be stable. When it has two wings, it has lift on both sides, and it is pushed straight up into the air. But if you remove one wing, suddenly the plane is out of balance. It would have a huge weight in the middle and lift on only one side, causing the plane to lift unevenly, and stall.

These days, any engine failure is quite rare. According to the FAA, jet engine failure rate is expected at one failure every 375,000 flight hours.

The Airbus A380 has the largest RAT in the world at 1.63 metres (64 in) in diameter, but around 80 centimetres (31 in) is more common. A typical large RAT on a commercial aircraft can be capable of producing 5 to 70 kW, depending on the generator.

How long does it take to fill an A380 with fuel? ›

This enables aircraft operations at night. The first Singapore Airbus A380 800 arrived in October 2007. There are ten fuel tanks with a capacity of 320,000 Litres of fuel. Refuelling can be carried out in 40mins.

The A380 production ended with the departure of former Airbus CEO Tom Enders due to a lack of demand; the company had 17 orders in the backlog. After Emirates cut its A380 order by 39 aircraft, leaving just 14 on the backlog, the final decision was reached to terminate production on the A380.

The Airbus A380 is the largest passenger airliner in the world, with Emirates as its biggest customer. However, Airbus stopped production of the jumbo jet at the end of 2021 due to low demand from carriers.

The larger planes, such as the Boeing 747, 777, 787 and the Airbus A330 and A380, have much more seats than the smaller Embraer 190, Boeing 737 and Airbus A320.

Sixteen airports in the US and Canada currently have or can accommodate scheduled A380 service, with more airports planning to open their doors for service in the years ahead. Current airports include: San Francisco International Airport. Los Angeles International Airport.

Lufthansa has announced it's bringing its A380s back in 2023.

What is it like to fly an A380? Ali: Despite its size, the aircraft is extremely responsive and easy to handle. It also has the best stability of any jetliner I've ever flown.

Airbus A340-300 – $600 million. Airbus A380 Superjumbo Jet – $500 million. Boeing 747 – $153 million. Trump's Boeing 757 – $100 million.

Which is better A380 or Dreamliner? ›

We can see that the smaller variants of the 787 have a better range than the larger 787-10. In fact, the mid-sized 787-9 even outranks the A380. However, in terms of the comparison to the larger 787-10, the A380 appears, on paper, to be the more flexible aircraft on account of its longer range.

U.S.-based carriers don't fly the A380. Airlines have different motivations for returning A380s to the air, said Brett Snyder, who closely follows airline developments at the Cranky Flier website. British Airways can move more passengers into its congested Heathrow hub with an A380 than it can with smaller jets.

The average hourly rental rate of the Airbus A380 is around 37,150 USD per hour.