Emirates has just moved forward delivery of its last Airbus A380 by around seven months, marking the end of A380 production.
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Emirates taking delivery of last three A380s
Emirates has announced that it will take delivery of three more Airbus A380s by November 2021, bringing forward the original delivery timeline from June 2022. This is significant, because these are the last three Airbus A380s that Emirates has on order. Not only that, but these are the last A380s on order by any airline, so this will mark the end of A380 production (though in reality the last A380 was already assembled in September 2020).
In total Emirates will have taken delivery of 122 Airbus A380s, though the airline has also already starting retiring some A380s, so in November the airline will have 118 A380s in its fleet.
While this marks the end of Emirates’ A380 deliveries, the airline should be flying these planes for a long time to come. Emirates’ president has indicated in the past that the airline will fly A380s through the mid-2030s, so I’d expect that the newest frames may have about 15 years of life in them (though who knows, it could be longer or it could be shorter, because a lot can change).
Emirates’ newest A380s feature premium economy
What’s exciting about Emirates moving forward the timeline of these A380 deliveries is that it will significantly increase the size of Emirates’ fleet with premium economy.
At the end of 2020, Emirates took delivery of its first A380 featuring premium economy. The airline so far has three A380s in its fleet with these cabins (which fly to London and Paris), and with three more deliveries, that means six planes will feature these cabins.
Not only do these planes feature a premium economy cabin, but they also feature some mild refreshes in other cabins.
In first class, the doors are slightly higher, the seats are slightly wider, and the cabin finishes have been updated.
Similar updates to finishes have been made in both business class and economy class.
As of now there are no concrete plans for existing planes to consistently be reconfigured with the new cabins, though I imagine that could change, especially with the Boeing 777X delayed until late 2023 at the absolute earliest.
Bottom line
Emirates will take delivery of its final Airbus A380 in November 2021, which will also be the last A380 ever delivered to any airline. It’s sad to see A380 production ending so soon.
On the plus side, Emirates moving forward delivery of the last three A380s will increase the number of planes with premium economy in service, which should be good for passengers.
Can you believe the world’s final A380 is about to be delivered?!
Recently flew the emirates A380 in F. Found the whole experience rather disappointing. The food on the flight back was not very good, although the food in the lounge was decent. Have had better flights in F on other airlines. Emirates wasn't all it was cracked up to be. Not bad but just not great. The shower and bar are a nice gimmick but didn't find the bed super comfortable and felt a bit claustrophobic like I was in a coffin.
Yes - I can believe that this is the last airframe to be delivered. It lasted longer than some of us had predicted, but ultimately it was inevitable. While an engineering marvel, it isn't as cutting edge as the aircraft replacing it. An aviation engineer of mine described it as an elephant in running shoes. I think Airbus engineers should have referred to a book called "The Wide Lens." The ecosystem is very important for long-lasting innovations.
I'm glad the A380 is finally out of production thank God. I'm a Boeing fan and if it's not Boeing, im not going. Anyways, the Boeing 747s legacy lasted far more than five decades now and is still flying all over the world, especially the freighter versions. The A380 was just too massive of a plane, it's operating costs are very high and expensive to operate. Long live the Boeing 747.
Well, the 747 is also out of production, except for the cargo version. Good luck finding an aircraft as silent and comfortable as the A380. Wait a minute, try the 777X
Its sad, really. It's a wonderful plane whose entry into service came too late to make a significant difference in the aviation marketplace. It's just too much plane for most air carriers. Boeing was correct in predicting the future market for such a large airliner when they cancelled their own plans for a similar plane. At the time Airbus said Boeing's market analysis was wrong. In the end, the marketplace confirmed that Boeing was right...
Its sad, really. It's a wonderful plane whose entry into service came too late to make a significant difference in the aviation marketplace. It's just too much plane for most air carriers. Boeing was correct in predicting the future market for such a large airliner when they cancelled their own plans for a similar plane. At the time Airbus said Boeing's market analysis was wrong. In the end, the marketplace confirmed that Boeing was right all along.
Perhaps at some point down the road there will be a significant market for a 450-500 seat airliner like the A380. But it will have to weigh less, be more efficient, and be equipped with only two engines (not four).
Only time will tell.
The 777-9 will have an ability for around 425 seats in a two class config. Easily replacing the 747-400. This is about the limits of scale any airline will ever go for other than Emirates.