Singapore Airlines to retire its first A380 (reg. 9V-SKA) and store it in France.

duskyjoe

When Alan Joyce of Qantas says he can operate two 787s line a stern cheaper than a single A380......then that was the death knell for me. The A380s are Goliath’s but flexible they are not. Example when the AF 380 diverted to YYR with its engine separating , YYR had no proper setups for the pax to disembark.....likewise diverting the 380 is a giant headache re it’s size and accessibility to most airports. This can turn very nasty in bad weather ......example of this was a LH 380 too-ing and fro-ing between MIA and MCO re bad weather and ran dangerously close to landing on fumes. I see a380 production coming to an end sooner than later when the options are there re the next generation mighty twins in the 777s / 787s/ 350s/330s who are meager on fuel, big on capacity, with the ability to flip them over on the 2nd hand market unlike the the 380.

PukkaStukka

When was the last time an order for a new A380 was made?

L1011

PukkaStukka wrote: »

When was the last time an order for a new A380 was made?

2016 - ANA, 3 under duress and Emirates with a massive top-up order of... 2.

circular flexing

L1011 wrote: »

2016 - ANA, 3 under duress and Emirates with a massive top-up order of... 2.

Was Emirates a new order or just converting options?

ozzy jr

circular flexing wrote: »

Was Emirates a new order or just converting options?

They took the two Skymark planes that were built.

Fred Swanson

This post has been deleted.

john boye

EK took them in 2-class config, 600 plus seats in them! They have a few in this layout now.

L1011

They were able to sell them, which is more than Boeing have managed with the Transaero 747-8i builds

Doltanian

L1011 wrote: »

They were able to sell them, which is more than Boeing have managed with the Transaero 747-8i builds

Isn't Trump getting them as the new Air Force one?

L1011

Doltanian wrote: »

Isn't Trump getting them as the new Air Force one?

Was rumoured months ago, not confirmed - Wikipedia are using a single rumour to add to their tables. USAF would absolutely prefer a new build; its Trump who is trying to force through using the cheaper option. Trump may not be there in 14 months time (impeachment if the Democrats do well in the mid terms) so there's good reason to hold off. The UPS order last year will keep the line open long enough.

circular flexing

L1011 wrote: »

They were able to sell them, which is more than Boeing have managed with the Transaero 747-8i builds

I guess the point is that they weren't new orders, just existing orders.

L1011

circular flexing wrote: »

I guess the point is that they weren't new orders, just existing orders.

It was definitely a new order; it was just for cheaper pre-built craft. The Skymark order had already been considered as off the books so they were net new also.

J.pilkington

Confirmation that at least one of these will be dismantled.


https://airlinerwatch.com/two-ex-sia-a380-to-be-dismantled-for-spare-parts-market/

The One Doctor

J.pilkington wrote: »

Confirmation that at least one of these will be dismantled.


https://airlinerwatch.com/two-ex-sia-a380-to-be-dismantled-for-spare-parts-market/

Rare for Airbus (or any airframe manufacturer) to have made such a terrible decision to design and build an aircraft. Even Concorde (yes, yes, I know) was done far more cheaply and survived much longer.*

*Comparison is apples and bananas, I know.

trellheim

Slot controlled airports are not going away ; this was one of the drivers for the A380

Irish Steve

The first few 380's were not "standard", there were/are significant maintenance issues due to the non standard wiring problems that beset the first batch, and I can't remember where I saw it, I think there were also problems with them being overweight, and performance/payload/range limited as a result.

There were some structural cracking issues with wing ribs that have been addressed, but they could mean significant maintenance costs to rectify on the early ones due to the other issues mentioned, if they had not been retrofitted.

Phil.x

Could Singapore airlines receive some sort of compensation as they could argue their not fit for purpose?

ozzy jr

Phil.x wrote: »

Could Singapore airlines receive some sort of compensation as they could argue their not fit for purpose?

Singapore only leased the planes.

L1011

The lessors would have received something for delivery delays and the maintenance cost increases, I think there may have been a slightly performance miss compared to spec also. Happens with virtually every new aircraft introduced

After the first few unsellable 787s there were a large number of mostly to spec ones rejected outright by the original purchasers which took years to sell on; at massive discounts.

The 380 and 787 will both almost definitely never turn a profit for the vendors. Both are considered important in moving technology forward for the vendors though.

Stovepipe

you might see a 787 as a freighter sometime, just to keep the airframe running to generate an income to justify it's cost.