An Emirates Airbus A380 at the 2024 International Aerospace Exhibition.
Sebastian Gollnow/picture alliance via Getty Images
Several airlines ditched the Airbus A380 during the 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 prompted carriers including Air France, Thai Airways, and Malaysia Airlines to ditch the A380 during or after the pandemic.
Now, 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 since 2022. Etihad plans to reactivate a sixth jet by the end of the year, ahead of a new A380 route to Singapore.
Global Airlines, a British startup, has already acquired one A380 formerly owned by China Southern as part of its plan to fly 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 compiled a list of every airline operating the A380 and the routes they've been flying this summer.
Ten airlines operate the A380, with Emirates flying far more than any other carrier.
Here's what all 82 routes look like on the map.
Created with Datawrapper
If you're looking for the A380 routes closest to you, try this interactive map.
1. EmiratesAn Emirates flight attendant behind the bar on an A380.
Pete Syme/Business Insider
Dubai's airline is by far the world's largest operator of the A380. Emirates has 118, 28 of which are in storage or maintenance, Ch-aviation reported.
This means Emirates operates 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 bar or even book a shower.
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, New Zealand via Sydney as a fifth-freedom flight. That's a total of 48 destinations.
2. Singapore AirlinesA Singapore Airlines Airbus A380.
ROSLAN RAHMAN/AFP via Getty Images
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 an armchair and a bed, on its A380s. Two of these can also be uniquely combined to create a double bed.
Singapore flies the A380 between Singapore Changi Airport and Delhi, Frankfurt, Hong Kong, London Heathrow and Sydney.
3. British AirwaysA British Airways Airbus A380 approaching to London Heathrow Airport.
Dinendra Haria/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images
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, BA offers the second-highest number of destinations. If you're in the US, it could be your best chance to fly on the superjumbo.
BA flies the A380 between London Heathrow and Boston, Dallas-Fort Worth, Johannesburg; Los Angeles, Miami, San Francisco, Singapore, and Washington, DC.
4. Qatar AirwaysA Qatar Airways Airbus A380.
Nicolas Economou/NurPhoto via Getty Images
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.
Its former CEO, Akbar Al-Bakar, said in 2021 that buying the planes was a "big mistake," given its high operating costs.
However, on the sidelines of July's Farnborough Airshow, Qatar's new CEO, Badr Mohammed Al-Meer, said the quad-engine is getting a second life.
"His Excellency, maybe he gave this comment years ago based on the situation of the industry, but today it's different," he said, referring to Al-Bakar.
Qatar has 10 A380s, but two are in storage.
The airline operates the A380 between Doha and Bangkok, London Heathrow, Paris CDG, and Perth and Sydney in Australia.
5. QantasA Qantas Airbus A380.
Sebastian Kahnert/Getty Images
Qantas has 10 A380s. One is in storage and three are being serviced, per Ch-aviation.
The airline's A380s fly from Sydney to Los Angeles and Singapore, with some continuing to London Heathrow.
The A380 is sometimes used 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. EtihadThe Residence's bedroom on board an Etihad A380.
Etihad Airways via Getty Images
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 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).
Two new destinations are also on the horizon: Paris from November 1, and Singapore from February 1, 2025.
Etihad plans for one of its jets in storage to be reactivated before the start of next year.
"We will have our sixth A380 online next year as we build our capacity further to cater for the travel needs of our guests," said CEO Antonoaldo Neves in a press release.
7. Korean AirA Korean Air Airbus A380.
Matej Divizna/Getty Images
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, Ch-aviation data indicated.
Korean Air's superjumbo jets go from Incheon International Airport Seoul to Los Angeles and 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. LufthansaA Lufthansa Airbus A380.
Silas Stein/picture alliance via Getty Images
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
The second Seoul-based carrier on this list, Asiana 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 AirwaysA ceremony celebrated the delivery of ANA's first A380 in 2019.
The Japanese airline has three, which are only used between Tokyo Narita and Honolulu.
ANA is another five-star airline, 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 AirlinesGlobal Airlines hopes to start operating in 2025.
Global Airlines
Hi Fly Malta also has 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 been questioned due to the high cost of operating the A380.
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 being refurbished.
Global Airlines plans to acquire another three A380s, with ambitions to start flights next year.
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