Aviation enthusiasts; Beginning of the end for the A380? Singapore A/L quietly parks first one. edit

[A HERETIC I AM]

Singapore Airlines has quietly parked the first A380 to enter service, Tail number 9V-SKA as they have decided not to continue the lease. The aircraft is only 11.3 years old, delivered to Singapore Airlines October 15th, 2007 and entered service 10 days later. Aircraft is leased from the German firm dr-peters Group who does not have another lessee lined up as yet. The aircraft last flew on June 10/11 from Heathrow to Singapore where it remains.


By comparison, the longest serving 747 air frame and the 25th unit off the assembly line has just been finally grounded after 47 years of service.

In my opinion, the A380 represents a MASSIVE miscalculation by Airbus, as they had high hopes for sales of over 500 units. Only 317 have been ordered and of those, 214 have been delivered. The largest user is Emirates with 96 in service. To my knowledge of the issue from the limited reading of the aviation press that I do, they picked up no new net orders for the super jumbo at the recent Paris Airshow.

By comparison (granted, they've been in production since the 60's) Boeing has delivered 1533 747's of numerous variants with 18 on order and yet to be delivered.

FWIW, Boeing stock has been on a tear recently, up 80% in the last year and is seen by many in the financial press as being one of the primary drivers of the DJIA.

Just to be clear, I don't by any means intend to bash Airbus and promote Boeing. Airbus stock is also up YTD and over the last 52 weeks, and this post is not intended as a recommendation to buy, nor a solicitation to purchase ANY stock of any kind. It is merely for those interested in airplanes.

Edit; Just found this;

Airbus to deliver first US Built A320 this week.

https://www.bizjournals.com/wichita/news/2017/08/22/airbus-to-deliver-first-u-s-built-a320-this-week.html

[trof]

1. They're building the A-320 right down here in Mobile.

[A HERETIC I AM]

3. Yup. Drove right by on I-10 yesterday.

I understand getting hired is tough, as they have understandably high standards and requirements, but I would venture to say that working at that plant would be one of the best places to work in Alabama.

[trof]

13. I've heard the hardest part if finding workers who can pass drug screening.

[cloudbase]

17. Good.

I was on a project for six months at Bender Shipyard. I wouldn't let those people fix a bicycle.

[Ryano42]

2. Though they are not comparible, the 787 and 737

Are more in tune with what the customers want; much less to operate, with the 787 even longer range and can operate at more airports

An A380 to be loaded quickly takes multiple jetways.

The 737 will be the standard in it's class for a long time.

[A HERETIC I AM]

4. Indeed.

The 737 is a remarkable airplane.

[Warren DeMontague]

5. No, they're more in tune with what airlines want.

Namely, cheap-ass to operate greyhounds in the skies with a single aisle that can be kept closed for the entire flight, as the "seat belt" sign is kept on for purposes of crowd control and no one can get up to pee.

Flying sucks. "what customers want" at this point is to be sedated for the entirety of an experience that just keeps getting worse.

[yortsed snacilbuper]

24. Don't knock Greyhound,

I live in Pittsburgh and have taken the greyhound bus to NY City, D.C., Baltimore, Cleveland and Philly.

They have wifi and stop at the rest area for a break.

If someone starts acting up the bus driver calls the state police.

You can sleep in a nice big seat, I usually leave around midnight and get their early in the morning.

you have a better class of people riding the bus.

When you buy a ticket nobody can bump you.

I get a military discount.

https://www.greyhound.com/

[Warren DeMontague]

25. You're right. Sorry, my experience is still probably colored by the last time I took one

From Los Angeles to San Francisco, maybe in 1987 or so, and I had a drunk hells angel passed out in my lap the entire way.

I'm glad to hear it has improved. Flying has only gotten worse, no question.

[Warren DeMontague]

6. Too bad. I like big planes.

[Major Nikon]

19. I'm not that fond of them

They take too long to load and unload. They are limited by fewer airports than can handle them. Since they are designed for long haul flights there's just too many people in too small of a space for too long. I didn't like flying on the 747, the L-1011, or the DC-10 for the same reasons.

[Warren DeMontague]

20. I'm probably over-nostalgic for my own childhood, which was back when flying didn't suck.

Plus, I was smaller, so it wasn't as cramped (and they hadn't tried to squeeze twice as many people into the same space) ... still, I can remember when flying was cool, even fun.

And I was a huge airplane nerd, as a kid. Could identify all of them.

[Major Nikon]

21. Still is fun

Provided you have your own airline

[Warren DeMontague]

22. yeah. Did that once.

I see the appeal.

[Sen. Walter Sobchak]

7. I wouldn't read much into the fate of a single early-production aircraft of any type

When Air Canada unloaded part of their Embraer 190 fleet the oldest of the aircraft, the tenth Embraer 190 ever built went straight to the scrapper. The first planes off the line of any type are usually overweight, extensively reworked and non-standard. Boeing struggled to find customers for early 787s, and a few never found customers.

I am not terribly pessimistic about the Airbus A380, the major airports of the world aren't getting less congested or NIMBYs less cantankerous.

[A HERETIC I AM]

8. I don't read too much into it...

I just find it interesting that they have decided not to renew the lease and have parked such an expensive capital investment.

I don't share your lack of pessimism, however. Production and deliveries have slowed to 7 a year for the current 12 month period and the aftermarket for these very large aircraft seems to have dried up. This could all change, of course.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Airbus_A380#Market

[Sen. Walter Sobchak]

11. Singapore Airlines is still taking on new A380s

The reason the plane has been idled is because there is extensive work to be done before it is returned to lessor. If they can replace an oddball which is probably a nuisance to their dispatchers and maintenance with a new standard aircraft why wouldn't they?

The A380 is something you as an airline either need or you don't. The need it fulfills isn't going away and there isn't a suitable alternative. The American preference for high-frequency with smaller aircraft doesn't work globally where access to major global airports is at an absolute premium.

[BannonsLiver]

16. +1

[brooklynite]

9. In the data biz, we call one a "statistically insignificant sample".

Last edited Fri Aug 25, 2017, 09:20 PM - Edit history (1)

[A HERETIC I AM]

10. LOL....indeed.

And it is, no doubt.


BUT! (you knew this was coming, didn't you?)

The fact that their orders have dried up, coupled with a flat or dead secondary market does not bode well for this aircraft.

[Sen. Walter Sobchak]

12. I suspect the original Singapore Airlines A380s will find their way to IAG.

Airbus articulating a freighter conversion strategy would also be helpful.

[Major Nikon]

23. The number isn't the significance

What's significant is you have an readily available airframe and zero demand during a time when the airline business is booming and other airframes can't be made fast enough.

[DFW]

14. I've flown on the A-380 a couple of times

It was OK, but I really didn't notice some huge difference between flying on it or a 747. Of course, I never flew one of the prestige airlines on one of their long-haul routes, either. I imagine the interior set-up and the service is something else if you fly Emirates to Australia via Dubai. I only took it from Paris to New York or Washington, and it was just another plane.

[trof]

15. Twice as many engines as is currently the style.

I really liked the Boeing 727.
THREE, count 'em THREE engines.
Our own ground power (APU), and our own stairs.
No need for jet ways or rollup stairs.
We were pretty much self-sufficient.

[pangaia]

26. I love that aircraft also....

and from all I understand, so did the pilots..
that and the MD-80 series...

[cloudbase]

18. Maybe Trump can cut a deal to get one on the cheap.

For the new AF1, y'know.