Battle Of The Giants

Are Airbus and Boeing’s super-sized aircraft heading for the scrap heap?

- David Churchill

When Singapore International Airlines (SIA) became the first carrier to operate the Airbus A380 “superjumbo” commercially in October 2007, it was heralded as the start of a new generation of giant, long-haul aircraft that would reshape the way we travelled by air. After all, it was the world’s largest commercial airliner with the capacity to carry up to 800 passengers, eclipsing the previous “Queen of the Skies”, the Boeing 747 jumbo.

Yet in October 2017 – a decade after it first flew commercially – the giant A380 aircraft, that had made an epic maiden voyage from Singapore to Sydney, was dispatched to a small airport between the towns of Lourdes and Tarbes in the French Pyrenees while its future was determined. SIA had decided to return the aircraft to the German leasing company Dr Peters Group that owned the superjumbo rather than extend its lease, especially since it had newer A380s on order.

A JETLINER’S LIFESPAN

Ten years is not old in terms of modern jetliners’ lifespans, which often extend to 20 years or more – many Boeing 747s are still in service at this age or older. This makes the SIA decision all the more surprising to some observers. Often, however, the aircraft are sold on to smaller carriers unable to afford the many millions of dollars a new long-haul jet costs. A Boeing 737-700, for example, is listed on the manufacturer’s website at US$82.4 million brand new, although a second-hand 1991 equivalent is on sale for just US$6 million.