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Airbus A380 dominates busiest quadjet routes as airlines adjust schedules for winter

Airbus A380 dominates busiest quadjet routes as airlines adjust schedules for winter
Policy
Webp almaktoum
HH Sheikh Ahmed Bin Saeed Al Maktoum, | wikipedia

The end of 2025 will see notable changes in the operation of large quadjet passenger aircraft, as airlines continue to shift toward more fuel-efficient twinjets. Despite this trend, several routes around the world remain dominated by four-engine jets, especially the Airbus A380.

Data from Cirium Diio for November 2025 shows that the A380 accounts for 60% of all quadjet passenger flights during that month. When considering only the A340, A380, and Boeing 747, the A380's share rises to 70%. All of the busiest quadjet routes in November are operated with the A380.

The most popular route is between Dubai and London Heathrow, connecting two major long-haul hubs. British Airways plans to return its retrofitted 469-seat A380s to this route starting October 26, replacing previous operations with Boeing 777-200ER and 777-300ER aircraft. The service will run daily through winter.

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Other busy quadjet routes include Dubai to Bangkok Suvarnabhumi (four daily Emirates A380 flights), Doha to Bangkok Suvarnabhumi (three or four daily Qatar Airways A380 flights), and several other connections from Dubai to destinations such as Cairo, Jeddah, London Gatwick, Manchester, New York JFK (with one flight via Milan Malpensa), Paris CDG, Singapore, and Sydney. Singapore Airlines and Qantas also operate three daily A380 flights between Singapore and both London Heathrow and Sydney.

Emirates' operations at London Gatwick are set for significant change in early 2026. In January, two daily A380 flights will be replaced by Boeing 777-300ERs on certain frequencies. By February 8, Emirates will increase its Dubai-Gatwick service to four daily flights but reduce A380 frequencies to once per day while introducing the smaller-capacity Airbus A350-900 on additional services.

This adjustment is part of a broader expansion by Emirates into London’s airports during winter; the airline will offer up to 13 daily passenger flights across Gatwick, Heathrow, and Stansted—an increase over its previous record of twelve daily services.

While most high-frequency quadjet routes use the A380, there are exceptions. The Tehran Imam Khomeini–Dubai route is currently served primarily by Mahan Air's fleet of aging Airbus A340 variants due to ongoing sanctions affecting Iran’s aviation sector. This route sees about 86 departures each way in November—just below the threshold for inclusion among top quadjet markets—but it remains notable as a leading non-A380 four-engine service.

Organizations Included in this History
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