The 123rd And Last A380 Has Arrived At Emirates’ Hangars

Emirates has taken delivery of its final A380, bringing the Airbus superjumbo’s production to a close.

The airline’s 123rd A380 arrived 13 years after Emirates received its first A380 in 2008.

The final delivery includes the airline’s latest premium economy cabin, which Emirates revealed last month would be refitted to 53 Boeing 777s and 52 A380s.

The airline just decommissioned its first A380 and is upcycling much of the superjumbo, including creating bespoke furniture and souvenirs from pieces such as the onboard bar.

“The A380 is a truly special aircraft in so many ways. For Emirates, it gave us the opportunity to redefine the travel experience, efficiently serve demand at slot-constrained airports, and bolster our network growth. The A380 will remain Emirates’ flagship product for the coming years and a vital pillar of our network plans.

“The aircraft we are receiving today features our latest cabin products, including Premium Economy. Compare it to our very first A380 delivered back in 2008, and you’ll see the myriad of enhancements and upgrades invested in ensuring that the Emirates A380 experience is unparalleled.

“We’d like to thank Airbus and all of our programme partners for enabling us to push the envelope to introduce many innovative ‘industry firsts’, and importantly, deliver the best product for Emirates’ customers.”

Following Emirates’ decision to cut its remaining contracts for the superjumbo, Airbus announced plans to end manufacturing of the A380 in February 2019.

Since then, the introduction of Covid-19 has caused several carriers to withdraw their superjumbo fleets, though British Airways has just restored A380 services, and Qantas expects to do so beginning in April 2022.

Qatar Airways has also reactivated several of its superjumbos, though this is only a temporary solution due to the recent grounding of 19 of its A350 planes.