Only 22 Routes: Where The Airbus A380 Is Flying This Week

Three airlines have A380 flights this week: Emirates; China Southern; and Korean Air. There are some 22 routes by the double-decker with a total of 262 round-trip flights, with Emirates having over nine in ten services (95%). We take a look at what’s happening in the week starting July 7th.

Three airlines are using the A380 this week. Photo: Getty Images

Just 11% of pre-pandemic A380 flights

While comparisons to previous times aren’t always fair, they are enlightening. In the same July week in 2019, 14 airlines used the A380 on scheduled services. These included Air Madagascar, which used Hi Fly’s sole example to fly football supporters from Antananarivo to Cairo on July 7th.

Qatar Airways also used them, although its CEO later said they were “a big mistake”. Photo: Getty Images

Flashback to this week in 2019

These 14 airlines had 2,477 A380 flights across 124 routes, data from OAG shows. This means that the current level of flights (262) is just 11% of what there was pre-pandemic. Of course, this is hardly surprising in the current environment. It comes as British Airways remains committed to the aircraft, and Qantas plans to restart using its entire fleet – perhaps in 2024 or later.

Korean Air will use the A380 on one route this week: from Seoul to Guangzhou. The aircraft is equipped with just 407 seats. Photo: John Murphy via Wikimedia.

Emirates has 16 A380 routes this week

Emirates will use the A380 on 16 routes this week across Europe, North America, and the Middle East, as seen in the following map. This is despite it cutting over 150,000 July flights last week.

The airline’s A380s have various configurations, from 484 seats all the way up to 615 (no first class and fewer business seats). Almost all of the flights this week are scheduled by the 489-seater, with 399 in economy, 76 in business, and 14 in first. However, Madrid and Rome are by the 516-seat aircraft, while Vienna is using 519-seaters. These all have denser economy cabins.

Emirates is using the quadjet to all of these destinations this week. Image: GCMap.

Emirates’ A380 flights

Europe has the lion’s share of routes and flights, although three resumed to North America in the first two days of July. Some nine European routes are operating, with this continent having just over half of Emirates’ A380 movements (53%). Most are once-daily – including Heathrow. The UAE remains on England’s red list, so arriving passengers must quarantine in a hotel.

1. Amman: 14 A380 departures in the week beginning July 7th
2. Cairo: 14 weekly
3. Paris CDG: 14
4. Moscow Domodedovo: 7
5. Frankfurt: 7
6. Jeddah: 7
7. JFK: 7
8. Los Angeles: 7
9. Heathrow: 7
10. Munich: 7
11. Vienna: 7
12. Zurich: 7
13. Rome: 5
14. Toronto: 5
15. Madrid: 5
16. Washington Dulles: 4

Emirates is serving Heathrow twice-daily this week, one of which is by the A380. Photo: Getty Images.

Five routes for China Southern

China Southern has the second-highest number of flights to, from, and within China this week. Regarding the A380, it has five bookable routes from Guangzhou, with 12 round-trip flights.

There is one round-trip to Amsterdam. Image: China Southern Airlines.

These include CZ327 to Los Angeles on Thursday and Saturday, leaving Guangzhou at 21:30 local time. A sixth route to Melbourne was scheduled for this week, but it is no longer bookable.

1. Los Angeles 2 weekly departures
2. Amsterdam: 1
3. Sydney: 1
4. Tokyo Narita: 1
5. Vancouver: 1

China Southern’s A380s have 506 seats: 428 in economy; 70 in business; and eight in first. Photo: Getty Images.

Just one route for Korean Air

Korean Air has only one A380 route this week: the 1,244-mile link from Seoul Incheon to Guangzhou. Flight KE865 leaves Incheon at 08:50 local time on July 7th and returns at 17:55.

Are you planning to fly the quadjet? If so, where will you be going and with which airline? Let us know in the comments.

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