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The Airbus A380 has seen a surprising revival since the COVID-19 pandemic reshaped global air travel. Despite being beloved by passengers, the A380 was quickly grounded at the onset of the pandemic. This decision came primarily due to its economic inefficiencies for airlines during a period of drastically reduced air travel demand.
Qatar Airways was one of the airlines compelled to resurrect the A380. While they hesitantly moved their Superjumbos out of storage, Korean Air and Asiana are eager to retire their A380s and Boeing 747s once suitable replacements arrive. "Between April 2020 and November 2021, the airline’s fleet sat idle, but the surge in demand coupled with the carrier’s issues regarding its Airbus A350 aircraft forced Qatar to bring the A380 back into service," reported FlightRadar24.
In March 2020, the A380 witnessed a sharp decline, from 1,191 recorded flights to just 19 within a single month. Airlines such as Emirates, Qatar Airways, Qantas, and Lufthansa temporarily halted all flights of this model. As the sole airline to consistently operate the A380 during the pandemic, China Southern Airlines had only a limited number of flights, and ultimately, they were among the first to retire the type.
