Speculation is mounting that Emirates could permanently decommission 40% of their A380 fleet, with 46 of their A380s that may never fly again.
The news comes a week after Emirates President Sir Tim Clark said “the A380 is over” and that the airline would be 20-30 percent smaller as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.
Bloomberg on Sunday reported that the airline is conducting a cost review and looking to cut 30,000 jobs, which represent 30% of their entire workforce, reducing employees down from more than 105,000 by the end of March.
“No announcement has been made regarding mass redundancies at the airline. Any such decision will be communicated in an appropriate fashion. Like any responsible business would do, our executive team has directed all departments to conduct a thorough review of costs and resourcing against business projections, even as we prepare for gradual service resumption.” from a statement by Dubai Media Office
“As our Chairman has said, conserving cash, safeguarding our business, and preserving as much of as our skilled workforce as possible, remain our top priorities through this period,”
Emirates Airline Statement
Emirates Flight Resumption
Emirates is gradually resuming flights from Dubai to London Heathrow, Frankfurt, Paris, Milan, Madrid, Chicago, Toronto, Sydney and Melbourne from 21st May. Travellers will only be accepted on these flights if they comply with the eligibility and entry criteria requirements of their destination countries.
Editor’s Note
The speculation on the A380 future and the job cuts really doesn’t come as a surprise, as every airline in the world has cut back usage or is retiring their A380s and cutting their workforce.
IATA’s latest market forecast mentioned domestic markets could see the start of an upturn in demand, beginning in the third quarter before international travel.
Emirates, being the world’s largest international airlines, will be hard hit as long as there are travel restrictions which subdued demand for flights. The airline will only use their B777 fleet during gradual flight resumption period.
Article Source: Bloomberg, Arabian Business, Dubai Media Office
China Southern is flying one A380 weekly flight CAN YVR in May 2020 to meet the demand. The air fare is sky high.
Yes, Chinese Govt have set only 1 flight a week prompting high demand with super high prices for students and those urgently want to return to China.
Well, I guess it’s time to develop Boeing 767 Upgraded version @ 797. Smaller than 787 and A350 but will fly further.
But Airbus 380 and Boeing 747-8i are still a pleasure to fly with.
A380 is expensive to run. Need more people on board to make profit in the first place.
The A380 business case is killed by the rise of mainland Chinese airlines with their their subsidized operations and aggressive airfare. That is the feather on the camel’s back. Pax like flying non stop between A and B without stopping at a hub. The new B777s and A350s making that possible. The hub and spoke system employed by EK is less important.
Wouldn’t the A380 make more sense able to fit more people at a spaced distance on each flight rather than cramming everyone on a smaller plane closer together?