[Tom Otley]

Good piece in Bloomberg with some excellent pictures

Here’s What You Do With Two-Thirds of the World’s Jets When They Can’t Fly

Just finding space to park can be a problem, and idle planes require a surprising amount of work, from maintaining hydraulics to stopping birds from nesting.

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Montysaurus, DerekVH, Switzerlanding, Swissdiver, Slayeronwings

[GivingupBA]

Thanks. Really sad photos for anyone who loves flying. I feel so sorry for airline staff these days, and I hope better times and full employment return very soon.

[MartynSinclair]

I presume there must be an added insurance (and security) risk having such a concentration of high value assets, parked up in such large numbers, in one place.

[AMcWhirter]

Readers may be unaware that BA’s fleet of A380s has been stored at a regional airport in the centre of France called Chateauroux.

This airport was chosen because of its large storage capacity.

Although the embedded video shows only six A380s the remainder will eventually be arriving.

https://www.aerotime.aero/clement.charpentreau/24813-eleven-british-airways-a380-parked-at-chateauroux-airport-video

[DavidSmith2]

I hope the Jumbo storage sites don’t end up an elephant’s graveyard. 🙁

[nevereconomy]

Looks like the A380 and 747 may be attractive propositions again when flying starts up with social distancing required…not sure how it will work, because even if only aisle and windows used someone has to squeeze past. Maybe just one person per row, alternating window and aisle ?? Certainly the BA 8 across J will be a problem.

[capetonianm]

Even with the low cost of fuel, and that will not last, they are thirsty beasties and operating them at (say) 66% loads will make them completely uneconomical. Although it’s a very attractive idea from a passenger perspective, I doubt if it is viable other than on a few routes which are traditionally very high yield, for example LOS and LAD which are places that the majority of people only travel to because they have to, and thus command high yields.

[alainboy56]

Regarding BA B744s – this is what I know of their whereabouts and future.
There are, I believe 6 BA B744s at Bournemouth in short term storage.
A further 6 BA airframes are at TERUEL in Spain, the last one arrived this morning, and are in medium term storage.
4 more are at Kemble, although one has already been handed over to the scrapper, and the other 3 are in ‘very last resort’ storage and will probably never leave
That’s about 50% – the others I believe are between Cardiff and LHR in very short term readiness.

[capetonianm]

AF flying a 380 into Teruel this morning and another to Ostrava, which is a big maintenance facility.

[Author]

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