Emirates has taken delivery of its final A380 aircraft, marking the end of production of the Airbus superjumbo.
Readers can watch a video of the delivery event, as well as the aircraft performing a low approach over Hamburg, on our forum here.
The carrier’s 123rd A380 is registered A6-EVS, and it comes some 13 years after Emirates took delivery of its first superjumbo back in 2008.
The final delivery features the airline’s latest premium economy cabin, which Emirates last month confirmed would be retrofitted to 53 Boeing 777s and 52 A380s.
The carrier recently retired its first A380 aircraft (registration A6-EDA), and is upcycling or recycling “most” of the superjumbo, including creating a number of bespoke furniture and memorabilia from parts including the onboard bar.
Commenting on the news Sir Tim Clark, President Emirates Airline, said:
“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.”
In February 2019 Airbus announced plans to stop production of the A380 in 2021, following Emirates’ decision to reduce its outstanding orders for the superjumbo.
Since then the onset of Covid-19 has led several carriers to retire their superjumbo fleets, although British Airways has recently resumed A380 services, and Qantas also plans to do so from April 2022.
Qatar Airways has also reactivated several of its superjumbos, although this is a short term measure due to the recent grounding of a total of 19 of its A350 aircraft.
