Return of the A380: Qatar Airways brings 8 back into service

Other Airbus A380s They come out of hibernation and fly again. In this case for the company Qatar Airways. Are we about to witness the resurrection of the Airbus A380? The superjumbo brought to market in 2007 found himself challenged last December, with the delivery of the last example to Emirates (which owns 178 of the 321 aircraft produced), and was now widely considered close to retirement.

A large aircraft with over 500 seats, which over time and the lack of airport development, found itself being Too cumbersome for the air travel market. Also contributing to the A380 crisis were bans imposed by India and China, problems in the global economy, and the drastic reduction in passenger numbers caused by the pandemic. But now Qatar Airways seems to be trying to turn things around.

Qatar Airways brings A380 back on track

Qatar Airways had announced that it would divest its entire Airbus A380 fleet, but now Doha's flag carrier has announced a reversal, with some of its aircraft returning to service.

"We will reactivate eight A380s - said Thierry Antonori, Chief Commercial Officer of Qatar Airways - We are studying different flight combinations between Europe and Asia." The first will depart as early as the June 1, 2022: takeoff from Doha and landing in Sydney, in Australia. In terms of flight points Avios, this trip will cost 105,000 points in first class, 70,000 in business class and 35,000 in economy class. Qatar Airways' A380s can accommodate as many as 517 passengers, with 8 seats in first class, 48 in business class and 461 in economy.

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It was not only Qatar that reactivated its jumbos, many other airlines also made the same decision in response to booming demand as restrictions came to an end. Of course, this model will no longer be built, but May be a guinea pig for future aviation o, as was also the case for many other aircraft, can be converted back into a hotel and restaurant.

Qatar Airways' change of course.

Qatar Airways has already brought four A380s back into the air from November 2021, with the aircraft now hurtling along the premium Doha-London and Doha-Paris routes. This latest move will leave only two planes from the fleet of ten superjumbos in mothballs, and some are betting that they could be deployed soon. It's an unexpected return to glory for an aircraft that Qatar Airways retired at the start of the pandemic and that CEO Akbar Al Baker had dismissed, describing the purchase of the superjumbos as "the biggest mistake" in the airline's history.

"We stopped the A380s at the beginning of the pandemic and never wanted to fly them again," Al Baker told Executive Traveller in late 2021. When Qatar Airways prematurely announced the end of its A380 era, Al Baker said, "I don't think there is a market for that plane in the near future."

• A380

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