“More than two decades after its first flight, the Airbus A380 is starting to break down in public view. With spare parts running dry and maintenance costs soaring, airlines are quietly scrapping their own superjumbos to keep the rest airborne.
Since 2020, Europe’s aviation regulator has issued 95 airworthiness directives for the A380, nearly double the number for Boeing’s 747s. And the deeper airlines dig into post-COVID operations, the more they’re discovering just how expensive this plane is to keep alive. A single D-check can cost over $25 million.
Unlike Emirates, most carriers only operate a handful of A380s. That means if one goes out of service, the entire fleet feels it. And with many original suppliers no longer producing parts, airlines are now resorting to cannibalizing stored or retired A380s just to find components.
Even Lufthansa and Qatar Airways, who previously announced A380 retirements, have dragged them back into service out of sheer necessity. They need capacity, and the newer long-range jets haven’t arrived fast enough to replace them.
Airbus built a masterpiece, but one that is now eating itself. The A380 may still turn heads on landing, but behind the scenes, it’s becoming a logistical nightmare.”