The Airbus A380 is a fascinating piece of aviation technology. Find out spec about this type of plane, features of the A380 cabin and which airlines use the A380.
The Airbus A380 is a jet airliner created and manufactured by the company Airbus. It is a double-deck, wide body jet aircraft, with four engines and is currently the biggest passenger airplane in the world. Because of its huge size, any airports which operates services with it had to upgrade its facilities to accommodate it.
This aircraft was created to challenge the Dreamliner and other prolific aircraft models created by competitor Boeing. It made its first flight on the 27 abril 2005, and completed its first commercial flight on 25 octubre 2007 with the airline Singapore Airlines.
Range | 15,200km |
Length | 72.72m |
Height | 24.09m |
Wing Span | 79.75m |
Track | 14.34m |
Wheelbase | 31.88m |
Cabin Floor Space | 550 square metres |
Max. Cabin Width (Main Deck) | 6.54m |
Max. Cabin Width (Upper Deck) | 5.8m |
Cabin Length | 49.9m |
Max. Fuel Capacity | 320,000 litres |
Max. Take Off Weight | 575 tonnes |
Max. Landing Weight | 394 tonnes |
Max. Zero Fuel Weight | 369 tonnes |
Max. Possible Passenger Seats | 853 |
Average Passenger Seats | 575 (4-class) |
Cockpit Crew | 2 |
The Airbus A380 is famous for its operating silence. It has much quieter engines and systems, which give passengers peace to enjoy their journey or relax and have an undisturbed sleep.
Its large flying range of over 15,000km means that its used on some of the longest non-stop flights on the world. Currently, Emirates use it for their Auckland to Dubai service, and Qantas are using it for their Dallas Fort Worth to Sydney service. They also fly shorter routes, with transatlantic flights from Europe to East Coast USA being some of the most popular!
The Airbus A380 is also known for having a great anti-turbulence system, meaning passengers enjoy a smoother and more stable journey. This is partly due to the aircraft’s impressive size and weight.
Mood Lighten on the Airbus A380 does more than just create a nice aesthetic. The carefully placed lights allow passengers to adjust to the time zone in their destination and minimise jet lag. Alongside this, the cabin air is refreshed and recycled every 2 minutes to ensure passengers are left feeling fresh throughout the duration of your flight.
Even in economy class! With a 32-24 inch seat pitch in economy, going up to 86 inches in first. Economy seats are 18-inch wide, giving a comfortable seat in every class.
Photo Credit: Andy Mitchell
The Airbus A380 is one of the aircraft to include a tail camera which passengers can view in their in-flight entertainment system.
The Airbus A380 is one of the worlds most environmentally friendly aircraft, with carbon emissions amounting at just 75g per passenger per km, which is 17% less than its competitor. With its quiet aircraft, it also meets standards for operation in some of the most noise-sensitive airports in the world. Furthermore, the greater capacity of the plane means that more passengers are transported one less aircraft.
On the A380, there is so much room that there is even room for an onboard bar! This is available with Emirates, Korean Air, Virgin Atlantic and Qatar Airways and often only available to First and Business class passengers. Some airlines even include showers so you can freshen up above the clouds. In addition, airlines such as Etihad and Singapore Airlines have created luxury living spaces such as apartments which includes private sofas or double beds.
Photo Credit: Brussels Airport
Although the primary users of the Airbus A380 are Emirates, Singapore Airlines, Lufthansa, Qantas, there are other airlines that use this aircraft. Emirates, however, have the most A380s in their fleet, totalling 94 with another 12 on order. The airlines that currently have A380s in their fleet are:
Destination | Airlines that Fly there |
---|---|
Abidjan | Air France |
Abu Dhabi | Aerolíneas Etihad |
Ámsterdam | emiratos |
Atlanta | Aire coreano |
Auckland | Emirates, Singapore Airlines |
Bangkok | Asiana Airlines, Emirates, Lufthansa, Qatar Airways, Thai Airways |
Barcelona | emiratos |
Beijing | China Southern Airlines, Emirates, Lufthansa, Singapore Airlines |
Birmingham | emiratos |
Bostón | British Airways |
Brisbane | emiratos |
Casablanca | emiratos |
Chengdu | China Southern Airlines |
Christchurch | emiratos |
Copenhague | emiratos |
Dallas | Emirates, Qantas |
Delhi | Lufthansa, Singapore Airlines |
Doha | Emirates, Qatar Airways |
Dubai | Emirates, Qantas |
Dusseldorf | emiratos |
Frankfurt | Asiana Airlines, Emirates, Lufthansa, Singapore Airlines, Thai Airways |
Guangzhou | China Southern Airlines, Emirates, Qatar Airways |
Hong Kong | Air France, Asiana Airlines, British Airways, Emirates, Lufthansa, Malaysia Airlines, Qantas, Singapore Airlines, Thai Airways |
Houston | Emirates, Lufthansa |
Jeddah | emiratos |
Johannesburgo | Air France, British Airways, Emirates |
Kuala Lumpur | Emirates, Malaysia Airlines |
Kuwait | emiratos |
London | British Airways, Emirates, Etihad, Korean Air, Malaysia Airlines, Qantas, Qatar Airways, Singapore Airlines, Thai Airways |
Los Angeles | Air France, Asiana Airlines, British Airways, China Southern Airlines, Korean Air, Lufthansa, Qantas |
Madrid | emiratos |
Manchester | emiratos |
Mauritius | emiratos |
Melbourne | Emirates, Etihad, Qantas, Qatar Airways, Singapore Airlines |
Méjico | Air France |
Miami | British Airways, Lufthansa |
Milán | emiratos |
Moscú | emiratos |
Mumbai | Emirates, Etihad, Singapore Airlines |
Munich | Emirates, Lufthansa |
Nueva York | Air France, Asiana Airlines, Emirates, Etihad, Korean Air, Lufthansa |
Bonito | emiratos |
Osaka | Aerolínea tailandesa |
Paris | Air France, Emirates, Etihad, Korean Air, Qatar Airways, Singapore Airlines, Thai Airways |
Perth | emiratos |
Prague | emiratos |
Rome | emiratos |
San Francisco | Air France, British Airways, Emirates, Lufthansa |
São Paulo | emiratos |
Seoul | Asiana Airlines, Emirates, Korean Air, Lufthansa |
Shanghai | Air France, Emirates, Lufthansa, Singapore Airlines |
Singapur | British Airways, Emirates, Lufthansa, Qantas, Singapore Airlines |
Sydney | Asiana Airlines, China Southern Airlines, Emirates, Etihad, Korean Air, Qantas, Qatar Airways, Singapore Airlines |
Taipei | Emirates, Korean Air |
Tokyo | Emirates, Thai Airways |
Toronto | emiratos |
Vancouver | British Airways |
Vienna | emiratos |
Washington | Air France, British Airways, Emirates |
Zurich | Emirates, Singapore Airlines |
As of diciembre 2017, there were 222 A380s in service, but there are more on order by many airlines.
The asking price of an Airbus A380 is $428 million dollars. Luckily, it’s not so expensive to buy a ticket on a plane flying the Airbus A380. Price depends on where and when you are travelling, as there are cheaper times to fly during the year, as discovered in our cheapest day to buy flights blog. If also depends what class you are flying in, as Economy will be a lot cheaper than Business or First as there are fewer luxuries.
The passenger capacity of the Airbus A380 depends on the setup and layout of the plane. This is because first class and business class seats take up more room, so if there are larger sections for first and business class, there will be a lower capacity. However, the maximum possible passenger capacity on the Airbus A380 is 853, with many airlines opting for the standard set up giving 575 seats.
The A380 is the biggest world’s biggest aircraft, in height, width, wingspan, capacity, weight and power. However, the Boeing 787 is a longer model. This still makes the Airbus A380 bigger than the 787.
Yes, the Airbus A380 can land in India and flies to airports which have been equipped to accommodate the aircraft; New Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore and Hyderabad. This, however, has not always been the case. Until 2014, the A380 could not land in India due to policies in place by the Indian government, due to worry foreign airlines may damage the profits of Air India. However this ban was lifted and A380 began service in India.