The world’s most luxurious fleet of A380 superjumbo jets has been saved from the scrap heap after operator Qatar Airways opted to upgrade them amid a boom in long-haul travel.
Eight of the Airbus behemoths, which can carry more than 500 passengers, will be kept operating to maximise capacity at airports such as Heathrow instead of retiring as they approach 10 years of age.
The superjumbos, already among the most luxurious in the skies, will now undergo a series of modifications to prepare them for more years of use, Badr Al Meer, the Qatar Airways chief executive, said at the Farnborough International Airshow.
The work will begin with an upgrade of the fleet’s onboard wi-fi, which is too slow and patchy, he said, before progressing to an overhaul of passenger cabins.
That could open the way for installation of a new version of the airline’s super-luxurious Q Suite business class seats unveiled this week.
The berths feature a wider lie-flat bed and a divide that folds back to allow business colleagues or a family of four to travel together.
Mr Al Meer said of the A380: “The decision between the commercial department and finance planning team was to extend operations.
“It’s the best option to operate to certain airports, for example, when we are restricted on the number of flights to Australia.”
Qatar Airways’ change of heart on the superjumbo is part of a wider renaissance for a model that failed to sell in the numbers envisaged by Airbus, as most airlines opted for smaller planes suitable for a wider variety of routes.
Covid appeared to have hastened the demise of a model already branded a white elephant as plunging passenger numbers led to mass groundings, only for a sharp rebound in demand to bring it back into favour.
Akbar Al Baker, Mr Al Meer’s predecessor, said during the pandemic that buying the A380 had been his “biggest mistake”, and reiterated as recently as last year that it would not remain in the Qatar fleet for long.
Mr Al Meer said those comments were “based on the situation of the industry at that time”, and that “today it is different”.
While focusing on upmarket travel, he said that Qatar Airways is also pursuing investments in emerging markets, including an approach for an unidentified carrier in southern Africa.
The Middle Eastern carrier is competing with Emirates and Turkish Airlines for dominance in the continent.
Mr Al Meer said his company is very happy with its 25pc holding in British Airways parent IAG and that discussions are under way on a closer partnership.
He said: “Our commercial people are sitting together and discussing how we can improve our operations. The relationship can get better but it’s the best since we had this investment.
“IAG has its own team and management and we deal with them on a commercial basis. But we’ve realised in the last few months that there is more synergy and more opportunities.”
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