Qatar Airways retires A380s: "They are the worst planes currently on the road"
The farewell to the Airbus A380 was in the plans of many airlines. A gradual process, according to initial forecasts, incredibly accelerated by the [...]
Qatar Airways
Oneworld
The farewell to theAirbus A380 was in the plans of many airlines. A gradual process, according to initial predictions, incredibly accelerated by Covid-19. Evidence of this is the announcement of Qatar Airways Which, through its chief executive, Akbar Al Baker, explained how at least half of its A380 aircraft will be withdrawn from beaten routes.
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The reason is quickly stated: the future. In the aircraft world, evolution is necessary and constant. The focus is always on reducing production and operating costs. All this leads to the conclusion of glorious careers of vehicles that were particularly popular just a few years before. In this case, the world's largest passenger aircraft has been overtaken by more cost-effective alternatives. Two names out of all, mentioned by Al Baker, are theAirbus A350 and the Boeing 787 Dreamliner.
Here are the CEO's harsh and stark words in relation to the soon-to-be-retired model: "I think the 380 is one of the worst aircraft of all, if you look at emissions, in relation to the models flying today. That is why we have decided not to operate it in the near future. Even in case it becomes necessary to fly 380s, only half of our fleet will be used."
The future of the fleet
A sudden and surprising change of plans, considering how the A380s were delivered between 2014 and 2018. A somewhat recent fleet, then, which the company initially intended to retire after ten years, or between 2024 and 2028. But these were the plans before the pandemic, which disrupted the market and forced many carriers to make quite different reasoning.
Qatar Airways operated its A380s to Frankfurt, London, Melbourne, Paris, Perth and Sydney. More importantly, these models were the only ones exploited for the long-haul routes in first class. Giving up these aircraft means going to change one's strategy in several respects, but this does not seem to particularly worry Al Baker.
The post Covid market according to Qatar Airways
The blockade will be total for at least two years. The current market offers no guarantees in relation to a return any time soon, which could only occur if the sector returns (at least) to 2019 levels.
However, Al Baker does not seem at all hopeful about the market's prospects. In the event that Covid-19 is in fact controlled through mass vaccination, the industry's return to full operation will wait until at least 2024. An analysis focused primarily on the slow return to normalcy of passengers. The great masses may have trouble finding themselves serenely in an aircraft, side by side with strangers. The past year has left deep scars on citizens around the world.
What will follow will be a slow recovery, explains the CEO, who believes that sharp price increases by companies are unlikely. While it is true that there will be fewer planes in the air in the first postrestart period of the industry, it is also true that in this same phase there will be far fewer passengers willing to start right away with their old habits.
