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Seven airlines discontinued Airbus A380 services to the United States over 17 years

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Seven airlines discontinued Airbus A380 services to the United States over 17 years
Policy
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Guillaume Faury, CEO | Airbus

The Airbus A380, known for its double-decker design, made its first commercial appearance in the United States in 2008. According to data from Cirium Diio, over 108,000 A380 departures have taken place in the US since then, making the country one of the top three destinations for the aircraft, after the UAE and the UK.

Over the past 17 years, seven airlines have stopped operating the A380 to the US. These carriers include Air France, China Southern, Etihad Airways, Global Airlines (which used Hi Fly Malta to operate its flights), Norwegian (also using Hi Fly), Qatar Airways, and Singapore Airlines. Some of these airlines have either ceased long-haul operations, retired their A380 fleets, or redirected the aircraft to other routes.

Air France was the largest A380 operator among these, with nearly 10,900 departures over 11 years. The airline served six US routes with the aircraft: Paris Charles de Gaulle to Atlanta, Los Angeles, Miami, New York JFK, San Francisco, and Washington Dulles. The first Air France A380 flight to the US was in 2009 on the Paris CDG to New York JFK route. The airline continued flying the aircraft to multiple US cities until early 2020 before discontinuing its use.

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Norwegian briefly operated the A380 on US routes by chartering the aircraft from Hi Fly. This was a temporary measure while its Boeing 787s underwent engine inspections and replacements. The airline has since ended all long-haul flights.

Etihad Airways last flew its A380 out of New York JFK on June 23, 2025. The following day, the airline deployed the aircraft to Toronto instead. Etihad had originally started A380 service to JFK in November 2015 and had periods when all its New York flights were operated by the superjumbo. After a hiatus caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, Etihad resumed A380 flights to JFK in April 2024 but ceased them again in June 2025.

Global Airlines was not a conventional airline but chartered its A380 from Hi Fly Malta. It operated two round-trip charter services between Glasgow and JFK in May 2025 and between Manchester and JFK later that month. Due to regulatory restrictions, Global could not sell tickets originating in the US, resulting in passengers returning on the same aircraft they arrived on.

Qatar Airways operated the A380 to the US only once in 2016 on a Doha-Atlanta service. Singapore Airlines flew the A380 on several routes involving US cities such as Los Angeles, San Francisco, and New York via various international stopovers between 2011 and 2023. China Southern used the aircraft on the Guangzhou to Los Angeles route from 2012 to 2022.

The exit of these airlines from US A380 operations reflects changes in airline strategies and fleet compositions. Some carriers have retired their A380s altogether, while others continue to use them on different international routes.

Organizations Included in this History
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