Why British Airways Wanted More Airbus A380s

The Airbus A380 is a marvel of aviation engineering. It’s the world’s largest commercial plane, with several major airlines flying it globally, including British Airways.

British Airways currently has 12 A380s. A figure that represents a decisive rebound following the effects of the global pandemic.

Despite its strong fleet of 12, British Airways has previously expressed interest in acquiring additional Airbus A380s at a low cost. Specifically, reports said six units were of interest, which would’ve grown the fleet to 18.

Examining British Airways’ Operation

British Airways is the United Kingdom’s flag carrier and operates a network primarily focusing on its hub at London Heathrow. It also operates a smaller operation out of London Gatwick.

British Airways’ focus on London Heathrow, which has run at capacity for years, has given the carrier an appetite for larger aircraft. It currently has commitments for the 777X, too, an upcoming high-capacity widebody from Boeing.

British Airways’ A380 Operation

As aforementioned, British Airways operates 12 Airbus A380s to destinations globally.

These Airbus A380s will typically fly on BA’s most popular routes. These include, but are not limited to, Johannesburg, Los Angeles, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Fort Worth, and Vancouver.

However, throughout the pandemic, British Airways, like most companies, was forced to ground its A380s. The carrier, though, remained one of the few airlines that consistently expressed interest in returning the type to service as demand returned.

British Airways Wants More A380s?

In 2019, British Airways CEO Willie Walsh announced the airline’s interest in leasing another six units of the world’s largest passenger plane.

But why? Here is the most likely reason their interest in the world’s largest commercial aircraft both emerged and faded at the same time. One possible reason we saw British Airways want further A380s follows the ongoing situation at London Heathrow

The airport is running at total capacity, especially pre-pandemic. Slots were therefore hard to acquire and had become very expensive. A slot at the airport at an optimal time was quoted in the tens of millions of pounds.

Therefore, if British Airways wanted to retain capacity or grow, it needed to expand. However, instead of flying more flights, they could deploy more A380s.

For example, it’s Los Angeles flights years back. It served up to three times daily with the 747 and reduced to two daily A380 flights. At that point, British Airways still had roughly the same seats despite a change in equipment and fewer flights.

Struggling To Find The Right Price

Although British Airways needed additional Airbus A380s, it eventually turned them down. This was because the price wasn’t suitable for them. IAG CEO Willie Walsh was quoted as saying.

If we get the right price, six more Airbus A380s will make sense.

Willie Walsh, Former International Airlines Group CEO

The Importance Of The Second-Hand Market

The second-hand market is crucial for so many aircraft programs. It’s a key reason why we see so many aircraft fly for close to 30 years right around the world.

Granted, they may not spend 30 years with the primary carrier, but they’re very likely to go to another airline, whether smaller or in a niche market. We’ve seen this happen with the 737 and the A320 family very frequently in the past couple of years—and the 747 is an honourable mention.

The Airbus A380’s Lackof Second-Handd Market

For the world’s largest passenger plane, the A380, well, that second-hand market has never really existed. While we did see HI Fly acquire a lone A380 that no longer flies with the company for various reasons, Airbus A380s retired by their customers have headed for scrapping.

It’s an unfortunate fate for an aircraft that, in reality, is not very old. Still, it highlights that British Airways was the only company vocally interested in adding more second-hand A380s at the right price. However, they couldn’t agree on the cost.

British Airways and the A380 share a common goal of connecting passengers worldwide, but sadly, that bond will never expand with additional A380s. This verdict comes with the double-decker aircraft production ceasing and, in addition, the airline ruling out any possibility of, say, seeing other A380s eventually join on.