- Several airlines ditched the Airbus A380 during the COVID-19 pandemic.
- But it's still soaring high, led by Emirates' fleet of 118 superjumbos.
- Business Insider compiled a list of every airline operating the A380 and all the routes flown.
Airbus took decades to develop the A380 — a project announced in 1990 to compete with the Boeing 747. When the airliner first entered service with Singapore Airlines in 2007, it became the world's largest passenger jet.
But the high operational costs of the four-engine jet saw the A380 experience tough times during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Air France, Thai Airways, and Malaysia Airlines are among the carriers that ditched the A380 as COVID-19 ravaged the industry.
Airlines seem to be falling back in love with the superjumbo. Lufthansa retired all 14 of its A380s during the pandemic but has brought back eight of them back since 2022.
Global Airlines, a British startup airline, has already acquired one A380 formerly owned by China Southern Airlines as part of its plan to fly the airliners between London Gatwick and New York's JFK airport.
Based on data from Ch-aviation of every A380, cross-referenced with Flightradar24, Business Insider has assembled a list of every airline operating the A380 and the routes they've been flying this summer.
As of this month, there are 10 airlines operating the A380. The Dubai-based Emirates operates nine times as many A380s as any other airline.
Here's what all 82 routes look like on the map.
If you're looking for the A380 routes closest to you, try this interactive map.
1. Emirates
Dubai's airline is by far the world's largest operator of the A380. Emirates has 118, 27 of which are in storage or maintenance, Ch-aviation reported.
This means Emirates owns 61% of the world's active A380s.
Other Middle Eastern airlines are luxurious, but Emirates' Airbus A380 is perhaps the most opulent. In business class, you can visit the onboard bar or even book a slot to take a shower at 35,000 feet in the air.
Emirates' plethora of planes comes with a similarly broad route map. Brace yourself for an extensive list.
Emirates flies the A380 between Dubai and: Amman, Jordan; Amsterdam; Auckland, New Zealand; Bangkok; Barcelona; Bengaluru, India; Birmingham, England; Brisbane, Australia; Cairo; Casablanca, Morocco; Denpasar, Indonesia; Düsseldorf, Germany; Frankfurt, Germany; Glasgow, Scotland; Hong Kong; Houston; Istanbul; Jeddah, Saudi Arabia; Johannesburg; Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia; London Gatwick; London Heathrow; Los Angeles; Madrid; Manchester, England; Melbourne, Australia; Milan; Moscow; Mumbai, India; New York; Nice, France; Osaka, Japan; Paris (CDG); Perth, Australia; Port Louis, Mauritius; Riyadh, Saudi Arabia; Rome; San Francisco; São Paulo; Seoul; Singapore; Sydney; Taipei, Taiwan; Tokyo Narita; Toronto; Vienna; Washington, DC; and Zurich.
Emirates also serves Christchurch in the South Island of New Zealand but only via Sydney as a fifth-freedom flight. That's a total of 48 destinations.
2. Singapore Airlines
The launch customer of the superjumbo jet has the second-most A380s, but the airline actually operates fewer of these models than the third-place carrier.
Singapore Airlines has a fleet of 13, per data from Ch-aviation. But two of these A380s are on maintenance, and another is in storage.
Singapore Airlines is one of just 10 airlines in the world to receive a five-star rating from Skytrax.
Skytrax named Singapore Airlines' business class the world's second-best behind Qatar Airways. The airline offers enormous suites, which have both a chair and a bed, on its A380s. Two of these can also be uniquely combined for a double bed.
Singapore flies the A380 between Singapore Changi Airport and: Delhi; Frankfurt; Hong Kong; London Heathrow; and Sydney.
3. British Airways
British Airways has 12 Airbus A380s, and all but one are active.
The airline's business class was ranked 15th by Skytrax this year. BA launched a $9 billion "transformation program" in March, which includes retrofitting its A380s with an upgraded first class and is expected to debut next year.
"The A380 is an important part of our fleet and rightfully, incredibly popular with our customers," Neil Chernoff, BA's chief planning and strategy officer, told Business Insider in March.
Behind Emirates, the British airline offers the second-most destinations. If you're from the US, it could be your best chance to fly on a superjumbo jet.
BA flies the A380 between London Heathrow and Boston; Dallas-Fort Worth; Johannesburg; Los Angeles; Miami; San Francisco; Singapore; and Washington, DC.
4. Qatar Airways
Qatar Airways cleaned up at this year's Skytrax awards, winning both best airline and best business class.
Like Emirates, the airline's A380 includes a bar for business-class passengers. It also has huge bathrooms — but no showers.
The A380s also aren't equipped with its flagship business-class product, QSuite, which you'll find on the A350 and Boeing 777 and 787.
Following delays to the latest series of the Boeing 777, the Boeing 777X, Qatar reversed plans to retire the A380. But it won't last forever. CEO Badr Mohammed Al Meer told CNBC in March that the A380 would fly for another two to three years.
Qatar has 10 A380s, but one is on maintenance, and the other two are in storage.
The airline operates the A380 between Doha and Bangkok; London Heathrow; Paris (CDG); Perth; and Sydney.
5. Qantas
Qantas, the Australian flag carrier, has 10 A380s. One is in storage and three are on maintenance, per Ch-aviation.
The airline's A380s fly from Sydney to Los Angeles and Singapore. From the latter, there's also an onward route to London Heathrow.
The A380 is sometimes operated instead of the Boeing 787 on flights QF93 and QF94 from Melbourne to Los Angeles.
A severe storm warning and "incredibly high" demand during Taylor Swift's Australian tour in February saw Qantas use a standby A380 to fly Swifties from Melbourne to Sydney.
6. Etihad
Abu Dhabi-based Etihad is the third operator in the Middle East, but it is often overshadowed by Emirates and Qatar. That's the case with its A380 fleet, too.
The airline has 10 A380s, but one is on maintenance, and five are in storage. It's the only airline with at least half its superjumbo jets in storage.
But Etihad's A380s are unique as they offer the most extravagant ticket in commercial aviation: The Residence.
For $24,000, you can book the world's only three-room suite on an airliner, complete with a bedroom and shower.
Etihad flies its A380s from Abu Dhabi to London Heathrow and New York (JFK).
7. Korean Air
Korean Air is one of four airlines on this list, and 10 around the world, to be rated five stars by Skytrax.
The airline has nine A380s, but four are in storage, and one is on maintenance, Ch-aviation data indicated.
Korean Air's superjumbo jets go from Incheon International Airport Seoul to Los Angeles and New York (JFK).
But four-engined jets are falling out of favor. CEO Walter Cho told FlightGlobal in 2021 that its A380s would be retired by 2026 and its Boeing 747s retired by 2031.
8. Lufthansa
The German flag carrier is the second European operator of the A380. Lufthansa has eight A380s, six of which are active.
The airline appears to prefer the only other double-decker passenger jet. Lufthansa has 26 Boeing 747 jets — the most of any passenger airline, according to Ch-aviation data
Lufthansa initially retired all 14 of its A380s during the pandemic before changing its mind as travel bounced back. The other six were sold back to Airbus, Airways Magazine reported last year.
Even with the third-least A380s in the skies, Lufthansa operates quite a few routes. Like BA, they mostly go to the US.
Its A380s go between Munich and: Boston, Delhi, Los Angeles, New York (JFK), and Washington, DC.
9. Asiana Airlines
Asiana Airlines has six A380s, all of which are active, according to Ch-aviation.
During the pandemic, Asiana flew empty superjumbos to keep its pilots certified, Bloomberg reported in 2020.
The second Seoul-based carrier on this list, Asiana has plans to merge with Korean Air. The airline is awaiting regulatory approval, but Cho told Bloomberg he expects full approval by October.
The combined entity could have 15 A380s, the second-most behind Emirates, but Cho has also spoken of plans to retire the A380 by 2026.
Until then, Asiana flies the A380 from Seoul to Los Angeles and Tokyo Narita.
10. All Nippon Airways
ANA is the newest customer of the Airbus A380, with its first one delivered in 2019.
The Japanese airline has three in total, but the airliners only fly on one route: Tokyo Narita to Honolulu.
ANA is another of the world's five-star airlines, with an impressive business-class product. But you'll need to fly on a Boeing 777 to experience "The Room" — or in first class, "The Suite," which includes a 43-inch TV.
12. Global Airlines
Hi Fly Malta also operates an A380, per Ch-aviation data. The charter airline is a subsidiary of the Portuguese airline Hi Fly and has been working with Global Airlines.
Global Airlines hopes to fly the superjumbo jet between London Gatwick and New York (JFK), but its plans have attracted many critics because of the high operational costs.
The airline completed its first transatlantic flight in May — ferrying its A380 from California to Glasgow via a stop in Montreal.
The 11-year-old jet, formerly owned by China Southern Airlines, had been sitting in a Mojave boneyard and is undergoing work to enter commercial service.
Global Airlines said it has plans to acquire another three A380s, with ambitions for commercial operations to begin next year.
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