It seems thatAirbus A380 has an above-average capacity for resilience... Regularly described as an endangered species, destined for the scrap heap, the super-jumbo is now used to comebacks. Etihad recently announced the return to service of four A380s for next summer. And now it's the turn ofEmirates to put Airbus' very wide-bodied aircraft back in the saddle for a 'new' destination. In this case, it's theNice airport which will see the return of Emirates' A380 from 1st June 2023. The Côte d'Azur hub welcomed the aircraft for the first time in 2017.
Fifty destinations soon on the A380
The A380's comeback will not be limited to the Côte d'Azur. Present today on 40 destinations worldwide - including Paris CDG Emirates' star aircraft is due to serve around fifty airports by the end of summer 2023. Glasgow and Birmingham will be among those served. The Airbus A380 will thus reach 90 % of its pre-Covid network.
Emirates, the world's leading user of the A380, announced an ambitious investment plan (two billion dollars) during the summer, which also benefits the very wide-body aircraft. The first Emirates A380 to be completely refurbished by the airline was deployed at the beginning of the month between Dubai and London Heathrow. Emirates also plans to intensify its operations with A380s configured in four classes: First Class, Business Class, Premium Economy Class and Economy Class. Emirates estimates that by March 2024, more than 35 destinations in 20 countries will be covered. It should be noted that theA380 which will arise at Nice next June will not be one of the aircraft redesigned by the airline, and will maintain the same three-class configuration: 427 seats in Economy class, 76 in Business class and 14 in First class.
