China Southern Officially Retires The Airbus A380
Luke Bodell
7 days ago
China Southern Airlines has officially retired its Airbus A380 fleet, with its last A380 passenger flight happening last November.
The airline will now focus on its more efficient twinjet widebodies, including the Airbus A350, Boeing 777, and Boeing 787 Dreamliner.
China Southern was the only Chinese airline to invest in the A380 and the only airline worldwide to continue operating the aircraft throughout the pandemic.
China Southern has officially confirmed the retirement of its Airbus A380 fleet. It last operated a commercial A380 flight in November 2022 before sending its fleet into desert storage.
All confirmed
As reported by FlightGlobal, the Chinese carrier made the A380s retirement official in its latest half-year report. The airline removed two of its five A380s from service in November 2021, and three of its A380s had ended up at Mojave Air & Space Port (MHV) - one of the world's best-known aircraft 'graveyards' - by the end of 2022.
After reports emerged in early 2022 that the carrier would be retiring its quadjets in the near future, China Southern conducted its final A380 revenue flight in November, saying farewell to an aircraft that had served it for over a decade. While two A380s had formally remained on its books until recently, it was clear they weren't going to be put into service.
China Southern will place its faith in its more efficient twinjet widebodies - the Airbus A350, Boeing 777 and Boeing 787 Dreamliner. Its A380s retire with an average age of around 12 years
The only Chinese A380 operator
China Southern was notable as the only Chinese airline that invested in the A380. Additionally, it stuck with the A380 throughout the pandemic - operating it on high-demand domestic routes and repatriation flights - becoming the only airline worldwide not to ground its A380 fleet.
China Southern placed its order for five A380s back in 2008 - it took delivery of the first two double-deckers in 2011, followed by two more in 2012 and the final jet in 2013. The airline primarily flew its A380s on trans-Pacific routes, which could seat up to 506 passengers in a three-class layout. The carrier recently passed 900 aircraft in its fleet, becoming the only Chinese airline to reach this milestone.
Discover more aviation news with Simple Flying.
The A380 in Asia
Along with China Southern, Malaysia Airlines and Thai Airways have retired their A380s, but the double-decker still has a presence in the region. All Nippon Airways (ANA), Asiana Airlines, Korean Air and Singapore Airlines continue to operate their A380s, with 33 Asian-operated A380s in service today.
Check out the 12 best airports for spotting Airbus A380s!
However, Korean Air and Asiana Airlines look set to decommission their A380s within the next three years after setting a 2026 exit date. As for further afield, Emirates remains the top A380 operator worldwide by a considerable distance with its 119 jets, while Lufthansa recently committed to reactivating more A380s. Although Airbus has stopped manufacturing the A380, passengers will be able to enjoy the aircraft up until the end of this decade at least.
Luke Bodell
7 days ago
China Southern Airlines has officially retired its Airbus A380 fleet, with its last A380 passenger flight happening last November.
The airline will now focus on its more efficient twinjet widebodies, including the Airbus A350, Boeing 777, and Boeing 787 Dreamliner.
China Southern was the only Chinese airline to invest in the A380 and the only airline worldwide to continue operating the aircraft throughout the pandemic.
China Southern has officially confirmed the retirement of its Airbus A380 fleet. It last operated a commercial A380 flight in November 2022 before sending its fleet into desert storage.
All confirmed
As reported by FlightGlobal, the Chinese carrier made the A380s retirement official in its latest half-year report. The airline removed two of its five A380s from service in November 2021, and three of its A380s had ended up at Mojave Air & Space Port (MHV) - one of the world's best-known aircraft 'graveyards' - by the end of 2022.
After reports emerged in early 2022 that the carrier would be retiring its quadjets in the near future, China Southern conducted its final A380 revenue flight in November, saying farewell to an aircraft that had served it for over a decade. While two A380s had formally remained on its books until recently, it was clear they weren't going to be put into service.
China Southern will place its faith in its more efficient twinjet widebodies - the Airbus A350, Boeing 777 and Boeing 787 Dreamliner. Its A380s retire with an average age of around 12 years
The only Chinese A380 operator
China Southern was notable as the only Chinese airline that invested in the A380. Additionally, it stuck with the A380 throughout the pandemic - operating it on high-demand domestic routes and repatriation flights - becoming the only airline worldwide not to ground its A380 fleet.
China Southern placed its order for five A380s back in 2008 - it took delivery of the first two double-deckers in 2011, followed by two more in 2012 and the final jet in 2013. The airline primarily flew its A380s on trans-Pacific routes, which could seat up to 506 passengers in a three-class layout. The carrier recently passed 900 aircraft in its fleet, becoming the only Chinese airline to reach this milestone.
Discover more aviation news with Simple Flying.
The A380 in Asia
Along with China Southern, Malaysia Airlines and Thai Airways have retired their A380s, but the double-decker still has a presence in the region. All Nippon Airways (ANA), Asiana Airlines, Korean Air and Singapore Airlines continue to operate their A380s, with 33 Asian-operated A380s in service today.
Check out the 12 best airports for spotting Airbus A380s!
However, Korean Air and Asiana Airlines look set to decommission their A380s within the next three years after setting a 2026 exit date. As for further afield, Emirates remains the top A380 operator worldwide by a considerable distance with its 119 jets, while Lufthansa recently committed to reactivating more A380s. Although Airbus has stopped manufacturing the A380, passengers will be able to enjoy the aircraft up until the end of this decade at least.
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Summary
China Southern Airlines retired its Airbus A380 fleet, marking the end of its service on this aircraft type. The last commercial flight was in November 2022. The airline will focus on more efficient twinjet widebodies like the Airbus A350, Boeing 777, and Boeing 787 Dreamliner. China Southern was