Previously deemed surplus to needs, these super jumbos are now prized for their bigger capacity in slot-constrained airports, say consultants
CARRIERS, which had consigned their Airbus A380 jets to storage during the pandemic or even for scrapping, are re-deploying the super-jumbo plane now, as a stop-gap measure against a shortage of planes amid delivery delays by planemakers.
Such a move has not only given the large aircraft a new lease of life; maintenance, repair and overhaul players are also seeing a business opportunity.
Mabel Kwan, managing director at Alton Aviation Consultancy, citing statistics from the Centre for Aviation (CAPA), noted that there were 171 A380s in service, accounting for 83 per cent of the global fleet of the aircraft as at end-September.
