Although production for the Airbus A380-800 was discontinued in December 2021 due to poor demand, many airlines, such as Lufthansa, that grounded their Airbus A380 fleets during COVID-19, have started flying them again. Travel demand post-pandemic has skyrocketed, especially for international flights, due to many people experiencing the desire for revenge travel from being stuck inside their homes during COVID. Younger people like Gen Z even prioritize travel by cutting expenses in other areas, underscoring the high travel demand.

Airbus A380 Problems

Passengers love flying on the Airbus A380 due to its comfort and noise levels. Due to its size, it provides a smoother ride due to its ability to dampen the effects of turbulence. The Airbus A380's engines are one of the quietest (registered at 69.5 decibels), making the cabin experience more silent than other aircraft.

Even though passengers love the aircraft, most airlines feel differently about it. Only 10 of 14 Airbus A380 operators currently operate the type, with more airlines looking to retire them. One of airlines' most significant problems with the aircraft is its size and capacity. On average, the aircraft holds 525 passengers in a three-class configuration and is certified to hold up to 853 passengers in an all-economy-class configuration. 

The aircraft's high capacity makes it difficult for airlines to fill the plane on most routes, which affects an airline's ability to maximize its profits. Routes such as London to Dubai or New York to London have no issue filling up Airbus A380s and other high-capacity aircraft due to extremely high demand. Even though routes such as these make the Airbus A380 better than other aircraft, only a few airports globally can support an Airbus A380. This is because airports must make adjustments such as increasing runway, taxiway, and gate sizes to support the aircraft. 

Lastly, the Airbus A380 is less fuel-efficient than other twin-engine aircraft like the Airbus A350 and Boeing 777 since it requires four engines to take off. With fuel and maintenance costs increasing again, operating the aircraft can cut significantly into an airline's bottom line. That forces airlines to lay off staff to cut costs - just as Delta Air Lines did in November 2023 (despite not even operating the A380) - and pass on fuel expenses to passengers through higher ticket prices.

New Demand for High-Capacity Aircraft?

Various reports have suggested that Emirates has been pushing manufacturers to create a new Airbus A380-type aircraft to support its hub-and-spoke operations from its Dubai hub. Emirates President Sir Tim Clark claimed that alternative aircraft like the Airbus A350-1000 and Boeing 777-9 are much smaller than the Airbus A380's capacity in a 2022 CNN interview. 

The airline industry recovered much faster than experts have predicted. Before, they predicted that travel demand would not fully recover until between 2023 and 2025. However, as COVID-19 travel restrictions began to lift in the middle of 2022, travel demand has spiked, even exceeding 2019 levels for some airlines. Every holiday season or long weekend, travelers have been bombarded with news articles emphasizing record travel numbers, especially internationally. 

Besides high travel demand, leaders have been even more concerned regarding how air travel affects the environment. Several airports, such as London-Heathrow, face capacity and slot restrictions, meaning aircraft with less frequency and higher capacity would be ideal. Amsterdam-Schiphol faced increasing slot restrictions from the Dutch government in 2022 but said restrictions were lifted due to several complaints. Not having a more efficient super high-capacity aircraft may lead to airlines and airports being unable to cope with travel demand, which will inevitably drive up ticket prices for passengers.

Airbus A380neo Possibilities

Sir Tim Clark of Emirates claims that Airbus can redesign a new Airbus A380. He argues that "when the aircraft was first brought to market [in 2007], composites were not really [widespread]." He further listed some possibilities for the new Airbus A380, such as a primarily composite fuselage, composite wing, and engines that improved fuel efficiency by 20-25%. 

As for Airbus, they also listed some potential new features for the new Airbus A380. Such features include better engines, winglets to help reduce drag and increase fuel efficiency, improvements from the Airbus A350 fuel pump and entertainment system to convert to the new Airbus A380 to save weight, and even increase passenger capacity to maximize profits.