British Airways Brings Back A380 for Re-Orientation Flights
Britain’s The Independent reports British Airways will bring back five A380 airframes to their fleet starting in November 2021.
Five British Airways A380s to Begin Flights Within Europe
According to reports, British Airways will restart flying five of their 12 superjumbo airframes on short-haul routes under 1000 miles within Europe, including Frankfurt and Madrid. The goal of the flights is to provide pilots and flight attendants the opportunity to get re-oriented with the incredible machines before returning to international service.
From there, the plan is to return the A380 to international service by early December 2021. The airline is set to resume trans-Atlantic operations for the airframe from London Heathrow Airport (LHR) to Miami International Airport (MIA) by December 3, 2021, followed by Dubai International Airport (DXB) two days later. By December 9, 2021, British Airways will also fly A380s to Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) and Los Angeles International Airport (LAX).
“The re-introduction of the A380 shows an increase in demand this winter,” aviation schedule analyst Sean Moulton told The Independent. “And while only five of the 12 are to be used at first, it shows intent for the airline to keep the aircraft, despite many of its competitors removing it from the fleet.”
The A380 flights are not yet on sale through British Airways website, as many of the destinations continue to be served by their fleet of Boeing 777 aircraft. The British flag carrier has not publicly commented on the reports.
Airlines Split on the Future of the A380 as Part of the Fleets
British Airways’ re-activation of the A380 comes after one carrier is embracing the giant aircraft as part of their border opening strategy, and another is bringing it back reluctantly. Qantas announced their plans to resume A380 service between the United States and Australia by 2022, while Qatar Airways says they would rather not fly the aircraft ever again. New construction of the giant airframe is scheduled to end this year, after the final structural components were shipped out of Saint-Nazaire, France in 2020.
We're definately fond of the A380 but not of British Airways Club World cabins!!