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While I also want A380 around for as long as possible, there are a few things in this video that need to be corrected. 1. Most punctual airline is not GoAir. In fact, we avoid flying GoAir when it is about time. Indigo is the most punctual, and % at times are as high as 99. 2. Apart from a few routes, read less than a dozen, no other route requires a longer narrow body, leave aside a wide body. 3. Air India flies widebody on some domestic sectors, but that is just to put the plane on the next international route. No widebody flight is doing regular rounds domestically. There's no need. 4. Planes like A321 are doing good for the extra demand that some routes got. 5. Yes, AirIndia is now more inclined towards Airbus because they are now merging AirIndia, AirAsia, and Vistara. 6. Runway conditions isn't really an issue in most of the metro and even tier 2 cities since Indian Airports aren't really that old. Runway length was actually an issue previously on many airports. 7. Also, cargo is one big side as well. Because of the developing culture of same day delivery, many airlines benefit from cargo space on board. They eventually find it better to have more number of planes leaving at regular intervals. (Not really sure about this due to economics, but I heard it from a senior airport cargo operation manager) 8. I wish India could save A380. I will be happy if anybody can save the beautiful and magnificent jumbo. I love being on it every time.

I flew premium economy on British airways on an A380 from Heathrow to Logan. Premium economy is positioned on the upper deck, just in front of the wings. It was like sitting in a living room and flying. The only real noise you could hear on takeoff was one rattly overhead bin. I absolutely loved that flight! I've never been on anything else like it.

The extra wheel A320's are no longer in service and have been replaced by newer A320/ A321neo's. The extra wheel versions were because a lot of the taxi ways at certain airports couldnt handle the weight. Most if not all have now been upgraded.

For the 4 airports mentioned in the video where the A380 can be used currently there are some updates- Delhi will open its 4th runway & finish upgradation of Terminal 2 very soon hence will free up slots Mumbai will be getting a brand new airport in a year's time hence massively reducing congestion Bangalore just opened its 2nd runway & new Terminal so no more congestion there Hyderabad still has spare capacity for some more years

I just flew the Emirates A380 into the Bangalore airport. Emirates always flew the A380 to Mumbai and now have started at Bangalore airport as well. I have been flying in the A380s for over 10 years now and was always bummed that the last mile (last leg from UAE to BAngalore) was always on a smaller plane. Not anymore. So If Air India does purchase some A380s then they could definitely use them for long haul US-Bangalore/Delhi/Mumbai/Hyderabad routes and make a lot of profits

I really hope these A380’s are able to be more relevant again.

I flew A380 once. It was in business class on Korean Airways from ICN to JFK. Even though the business class cabin was in a 2-2-2 layout instead of 1-2-1, it was still incredibly spacious and comfortable. I would pay a premium to fly A380 over other aircraft if it were available.

A380 is the most comfortable plane I've ever flown easily. The reduced noise level in particular is so incredibly apparent but the extra space - even if they then cram you in - can't be denied. If you are able to get (not sure if they still do this) a plane with economy on the upper deck then it's even more incredible. You feel like you're in your own semi-private palace; you and a handful of others. That's of course before you consider PE, business or greater if you are made of money.

Indigo has 7-8 daily flights from delhi to Banglore startig for 4 am to 11pm and all filled to the brim they use mostly A321 and a few A320 on this route

I think for busy routes, passengers will prefer frequency. I read the reason why BA didn’t deploy A380s on the LHR-JFK route, even though the flew easily a dozen daily flights to and fro pre-pandemic, is for exactly this reason. Also, I’m glad you enjoyed the A380 Coby. I saw you flew with BA, if you travelled on the upper deck, you’ve won, cause A380 upper deck economy is really enjoyable. It’s like your own private cabin with abundant storage with those window-side lockers. However, I think the flying public is too attached to the A380. I used to say it was “overrated” and got into some trouble… 😂 I just got off an A350 flight and from my memory, it’s just as quiet and comfortable as the superjumbo, yet I don’t really see the same hype. I guess the fact that simply being the biggest has some wow factor to it, but if you’re a non-avgeek choosing between an A380 and A350 flight, I’d say go with what fits your schedule, you’re not gonna be uncomfortable either way. I’m actively seeking the A380 now, because with so few operators left, it’s a good avgeek goal to fly on all remaining A380 operators.

Emirates has just started an A380 service from Dubai to Bangalore. Making 3 flights a day, 3 777s and 1 A380, and before they had 4 777s a day Would be interesting to see if the A380 would ever work domestically

Have flown on the A380 many times over the years; until the pandemic it was the 1st choice for many airlines flying long-haul to & from my hometown (Sydney). Apart from all the extra room and comfort (even the basic economy seats are wider and have increased pitch than other widebodies), the thing that sets the A380 apart from most other passenger jets today is the silence (particularly on the upper deck). Due to the sheer size of the aircraft and all of the engines being placed further away from the cabin and down along those long wings, those planes are just very hushed inside and easy to get to sleep in without the use of noise-cancelling headphones. Now that airlines are bringing their A380's back into service post-covid, I go out of my way to book my long-haul international flights on them.

I love the A380, so huge, spacious and quiet!

I flew on the A380 multiple times and definitely is my favourite aircraft. Almost noise free and smooth as you like.

Surprising to find GoAir is India's most consistent airline in terms of on time service. Every time i booked em, it always ended in cancellation or delays. India being a very price priority market probably has Indigo as one of the best ones for most routes and it has got some of the best schedules as well in my opinion

I have flown a380 with China Southern, Singapore, and emirates. All of them are phenomenal

Gotta agree with you about how comfortable they are. I recently flew from Manchester to Sydney via Dubai and both legs were on Emirates A380s. 22hrs 30mins air-time (not including time in the airports) and I wasn't even tired at the end.

I had the chance to fly twice in a A380. A pure marvel and so confortable. I love sitting at the window. On a 747 I always am getting cold wether in the airbus no. And it flies so smooth. A pure experience. I would love to fly again

Just to clarify the double bogied A320 were used on flights to the hilly north eastern part where earlier(int the 90s and 2000s) the runway quality was quite poor. These have improved since then and the double bogied A320s have since been retired. Otherwise quite a spot on video. Though one might make a case for the A380's filling up on domestic routes. They would make more sense to be operated on flights to LHR and JFK. The flights at peak morning times have a demand that it can fill an A380 completely tho and I hardly doubt that all cabins might be filled on a flight considering India is a very price sensitive market on domestic flights. Fitting the cabin to have maximum economy class seats might not make sense for the aircraft to be used when the aircraft is being used on international routes. Thus leading to dilemma. The 787/A350 is very suited to the need that India has right now.

The 4-wheel bogie undercarriage A320 have all been retired by Air India. Even many smaller airports in India can handle A320 type aircraft with full load and regular undercarriage nowadays. Besides the A380, even if any Indian airline decides to acquire it, will mainly be used on Delhi-Bangalore, Delhi-Mumbai, Mumbai-Bangalore and other high density routes between metros. The defunct Air Deccan also planned to acquire A380s and operate them domestically in all-economy configuration.

Boston-Logan installed an A380 gate. Used it like 10 times and now they don’t expect to ever again. 787-10 would be the ideal domestic high density wide body.

Best plane that suits Indian conditions is a-220 most people prefer point to point model not Hub and spoke Case for hub and spoke model very low , every airline in India prefers efficient planes like 737max and A320 neo , where as thin routes are being served using Atr 72-600, Q-400 Personally I like to see A-350 and A-220 in Indian skies running with local carriers

I flew on the A380 for over 10 times, and the aircraft is certainly one of my favorite, alongside with the 747-8i.

Air India just ordered the largest deal of aviation industry with Airbus and Boeing. They ordered 210 A321neos and 190 737 max for domestic market and 40 A350s, 20 787 & 10 777x wide bodys for international routes, making it a $70 billion worth of deal in total

Great information there. I'm presently in New Zealand. My daughter lives here. I've now flown from the UK to NZ return with Emirates on the A380 a dozen times. Brilliant plane. A few of these flights have been aboard brand new A380s

Absolutely bang on, truly believe that Air India should pick up all those Parked and on sale A380s of Thai and Malaysia Airlines as it would add big capacity cheap and it should fly majorly international markets.

I have flown on a Lufthansa A380 once DEL to FRA. It was an incredible experience. I was in row 75 and it was over the wing. Only bad part was my IFE screen wasn't working until after takeoff so I missed the tail cam takeoff .

We flew from London to Melbourne on a A380 in 2018 with Emirates and found it very comfortable in economy and very fortunate to travel back in business class and found that to be absolutely brilliant. Personally I love the A3800 and can’t wait to fly in one again 😊

The a380 on emirates was very spacious, even though I was in economy from SYD-DXB ( it was a 14 hour hop). We were able to walk, access the lavatories and even move while beverage carts were blocking aisles. I want to get back on it.

Great video. Your comprehensive analysis of the many factors that go into an airplane selection was well explained. First video seen on your channel and hugely impressed by the content and quality of production.

A few anecdotes: 1. There are new airports coming up in both Delhi and Mumbai. 2. A new terminal has also being opened in Bangalore. 3. Indigo has far better punctuality record. It is ranked 15th in the world ahead of Delta, Emirates and Etihad. 4. A380 requires a lot of point to point passengers. Only a few 3-4 routes could have that kind of passenger demand. 5. Maintaining a fleet of A380 is very expensive. Unless India has need of 100s there won't be any efficiency advantages. 6. Business and 1st class is not very prevelant. So it would moatly be economy.

I flew on Emirates A380 twice (Dubai to Seoul Incheon route). It was totally different experience, especially the take-off.

My only A380 experience was with Singapore Airlines back in 2018 (SIN~PVG). It had so many surprises. - The tunnel vision of the windows was insane... Taking photos and filming out of them felt awkward. - So many vanity mirrors on the plane. I don't know if this is specific to Singapore Airlines, or it's universal across all A380s. - Interior space felt much more cramped than I had expected. Perceived space felt less compared to their 777s (probably due to the A380 having a 3-4-3 abreast configuration as opposed to 777's 3-3-3). - It was VERY quiet. Quieter than every plane I have flown on including the A350. It was already quiet during take off, and got noticeably quieter again after the landing gears retracted -- just like turning on the active noise cancellation on a pair of headphones. - Oh the person sat next to me had bad armpit odor... Luckily he was a pretty nice and kind guy. And that was my A380 experience.

I flew A380 from New York to Dubai a few months ago. I loved the flight. I was in the business class and everything about the flight was amazing. The flight was on time and it was not at all noisy and crowded. I am planning to fly again in a couple of months.

Both Mumbai and Chennai are slated to get new airports in a matter of years. With Chennai it's more obscure, but Navi Mumbai is under construction already. BOM and MAA are both in the top 5 busiest Indian airports, and those 2 new airports should relieve capacity there.

The A380 is by far the quietest long-haul jetliner I've been on. My only issue with it as an avid window seat flyer, is that gap between the seat and window due to the fuselage curvature on the lower deck.

I had the pleasure of being on the upperdeck of the 747, but I have yet to experience the a380.

TATA's taking over Air India will be a real game changer for Indian aviation. Also many airports in India are planning to expand or build new terminals and there are lot of new airports being build across the nation. Upcoming Bullet train and RRTs projects in India will be a major competition to Aviation industry in the next decade.

I flew A380's Economy Class in Singapore Airlines and honestly, the comfort in the seats and the amount of space compared to a regular A350 actually shocks me. How is a plane this huge not considered by airlines? A380 just strikes the need of economy passengers and I honestly think spacious seats is all passengers need with added comfort and the A380 just does that job! It's a shame the aircraft is being retired but I would still love to see the A380 come back again in the markets but with more fuel efficient engines like the upcoming RR Ultrafan.

I have flew on BA and Singapore airlines' A380s and it was amazing

Congrats ! Very useful video ! You confirmed what I tought and in a way studied. A380 will be very useful on Delhi (DEL) - Mumbai (BOM) + DEL - Bangaluru (BLR) + BOM - BLR sectors to srart with reducing congestion and pollution at peak hours at least. DEL - BOM sector is one of the most traveled in the world. Concerning the number of airport by inhabitant India is 1/3 in area than USA and almost 5 x more populated.

I've been on several and really enjoyed their cathedral-like indoor space and quiet operation. So quiet you can talk to you neighbor without straining.

India is expanding high speed rail network and Super Highways in a big way.That leaves very few profitable routes for A380.Thats the reason Air India has chosen smaller planes such as A350, 777, 787

After Covid, A380s are coming back to Dallas/Fort Worth. I'm so excited to find an A380 flight!

Another good example is the 747 route in Korea going from Seoul to Jeju. Jumbo Jet for a 1 hour route but the demand is there.

I have flown the A-380 on several routes, BA and AF. I love the plane, but different airlines offer different levels of service. My most recent trip was in BA First Class from LHR to ORD. The flight was great, but the upgrade from Business or First was not really worth the cost. The offerings in business were very similar to first, even the seat wasn't that much more remarkable.

Very impressive presentation! Each angle you present is very plausible. Let’s see how things enfold in the coming months and years.

when you mentioned total residents/ airport. Remember that India also has a vast network of railways compared to the US where rail travel is almost impossible.

3:17 I wonder how did GoAir become most punctual. Here in India we call it the worst airline in terms of service and OTP(on-time performance)

I have flown the A380 of Emirates From Mumbai To Dubai and was a very comfortable aircraft 2 and a halfe hours just gave me confort even in Economy class.

I've flown four sectors on board an A380. The flights were operated by four different airlines (SQ, LH, EY and QR, in that order). One of the sectors (SYD to AUH) was the longest I've ever flown. All four of the flights, and especially the one with LH, were exceptionally pleasant experiences. I am not in the least bit surprised that three of the operators have recently reversed their previously announced decisions to stop flying the type. I look forward to savouring further A380 flights in the future.

air india also flys 787 on domestic routes

Best passenger jet I’ve ever flown in and I used to fly four times a month.

I think the major challenge to any airliner in India operating the A380 would be fuel costs. Fuel is always expensive here, even more so with international inflation

Keep up the good work mate. Very good video.

Fast Forward to FEB 2023 - this video became obsolete :)

The A380s can be used for North American routes and LHR. Indigo has captured the domestic market and people are looking for flexible timing instead of travelling on widebody which would be only plane serving the route.

I have flown the A380 in Business and in Economy class. Just a great, great, great airplane. I never flew the A350, but I can say that after a long haul flight to Singapore in A380 the next leg to Australia was with a 777 and it seemed to all of us to go 30 years back in time. In the A380 one does not even need the noise cancelling headphones.

Great video Coby - love your insights...

I am from India and I flew A380 to Dubai from New Delhi and it was a great experience as compared to other domestic carriers such as A320 (which again I flew domestically).

5:25 I would not say that the price tag of $445M is a lot considering that a 777-9 costs $442M

I've flown on a Emirates A380 from JFK to Dubai... what an amazing aircraft.. We purchased the premium economy seats and we absolutely loved it. Best flying experience I've ever had..

1. Mumbai -Delhi 2. Bengaluru - Delhi These two sectors will be very benefited by the A380

Amazing Analysis Coby! Use case is spot on and would love to see this happen!

You make good videos keep up the good work

Over the years, I have flown on just about every passenger jet. My favorite (by far) is the A380. My 747 experience wasn't that bad either, but the configuration could have been much more roomier. When I started flying, I would have really enjoyed my flight on the DC10. That is if airlines didn't allow smoking back then. It was a stormy night with nearly an empty plane. Wouldn't you know it, the airline put another passenger in the seat next to me. I counted maybe ten people on the entire plane and this guy sat right next to me and smoked one cigarette after the other. Blessings for me, the flight attendant asked the captain if I could move. She moved me up to the empty first class section of the plane. It was a smooth and very roomy flight.

I flew it twice. China Southern from LAX to Guangzhou on the upper deck, rear. The config was 2-4-2 and I had the window seat near the rear stairs. The second time was LAX to SYD on Qantas’ A380. This time, last row lower deck near the exit door and galley. End seat, in the 4 seat config. Was able to really stretch my legs during the nearly 15 hour flight down under. Have yet to experience it in business or first and at the current prices, first will probably never happen.

Absolutely spot-on as always Coby. The Indian government and stakeholders should give this idea the greenlight. I still haven't been on the A380 but glad to hear you got your chance!

Worth considering - high speed rail can handle several times as many passengers at lower cost.

Really good video, thanks for this information. I think everyone will miss the A380. It is very comfortable and all the people I know appreciate flying it. The A380 could already use routes from Delhi and Mumbai since other A380 carriers landed there before the pandemic.

Flew from Guangzhou (formerly Canton) to LA and back, 3 years ago. Loved it. .

The problem overlooked here is boarding time which can take forever on an A380. You can draw an example from Cebu Pacific's 436 seat A330 used domestically vs sending two 210 seat A321s. It's not just the number of "gates" but the number of "bridges" that are important.

Wow, I was thinking which airport had the capacity to land this big plane, I didn't expect we had 4 airports, which is also busiest airports. You mentioned 75% to be filled right for profit? It's so easy, here is why: 1. I saw seating capacity of Air India Boeing 777-200LR, For economy - 195, For Business - 35 & For First Class - 8 Seats, So in percentage it's 82%(E), 14.5%(B) & 3.5%(F). (Checked other airlines which had more FC, Business & Less economy) Apply the same in A380 - 545 seats x 82% - 447 Seats (E), x 14.5% - 79 seats (B) & x 3.5% - 19 seats. Air India would easily fill the seats. Even for this i'm expecting more economy than other classes. 2. A380 - 15,000Km, It can do 3~3.75 trips with single fuelling, Also round trip possible - Delhi > Mumbai > Bangalore > Hyderabad > Delhi. 3. Air India can literally use it's existing planes for other routes. This plane will save people more time than before(seriously). India may need 3 ~ 6 Airbus A380.

Superb video thanks

Having recently reviewed comments of Emirates' Tim Clark: "One of the A380’s biggest drawbacks are its four engines, which are inefficient to today’s standards and fuel prices. A new version would require an entirely new engine technology." (open fan suggested) What of retrofitting used fuselage with new shorter composite wings and new jumbo, fuel efficient engine PAIRs? (total 2 engines)

As much as I wish the a380 might resurface and head into production again, from what I've heard the production equipment has been dispersed to other lines and some tooling has been scrapped and would probably cost more to replace and reproduce that now than it did 5 years ago. But lets hope for a brighter future for the a380!

fuel cost is through the roof so I don’t except it to come anytime in the future

I’ve flown a lot on the A380 as I live in Dubai. All my destinations are based on the A380 routes (atleast the longest sector eg. DXB-SFO or JFK). Absolutely love the A380 especially in Business & First. It’s also amazing on economy but the bar at the back is too difficult to ignore on long haul flights.

You forgot about wake turbulence. That size of plane, during takeoff the plane behind it has to wait 2 minutes to take off, this takes out any benefits of more passengers flying per hour.

My experience as an Indian : My hometown airport is too small to handle even an A319 So it only serves politicians in their private jets.. The word "Expansion will occur " has been around since my Father's childhood

Air India is not a countries plane is acquired by TaTa sons and tata sons already won by 3 airlines vistara and the Air Asia and Air India

Coby posed the question about flying on the A380. We went to India on Emirates, A380 to Dubai, B777-300 to Delhi and reverse on the way back to London Gatwick. It really put the comfort on both planes in a stark contrast. We have flown on the 777 before and were happy enough. In all honesty I would pay a premium to fly on the A380 over the 777, not a huge one but for airlines who still have them I would be using the A380 to market flights.

its always a treat to rush to your connecting flight in india stressed out if your going to make it then find out its delayed by an hour

should have been "How the A380 can save Indian aviation"

Thank you, very informative video 🙂, make more videos from Indian aviation market...

great research brother

Nope... Boeing 777 and 787 are perfect for air india

Thanks!

I spent a lot of time on A380, Lufthansa, Singapore Airlines. Sg-Sfo and jfk-fra. Economy and business, in business absolutely great.

Hey Colby, I think this is a fantastic theory and I too have been thinking the same, and you are right! India can definitely make a good use of an A380, and the A380 doesn't only have to be confined to those four cities. India has a huge market to North America and UK. for example they could fly routes like Bangalore - Delhi - San Francisco, Mumbai - Delhi - Toronto, Delhi - Mumbai - New York, Hyderabad - Delhi - San Fracncisco and even Mumbai - London, so not only will it be useful for domestic routes but high volume international routes as well.

Your channel is one of these best on KZfaq. I’m loving it! Would you consider doing a video about Trains?

I think one thing you're underestimating is the importance of turnaround times on short-haul routes. The A380 has two usable doors for 4 times as many passengers as narrowbodies, which use one door. So you're looking at double the passenger dwell times, as well as higher cleaning costs due to the need to use cleaners in bursts as opposed to spreading them out across a bunch of narrowbodies. You're also looking at higher amounts of time to load cargo, and other dwell time consequences. This culminates in turnaround times closer to an hour, compared to the closer to half-hour times seen on narrowbodies. That's a big problem, both for gate numbers and for the profitability of the plane. If it's flying six flights a day, this is three extra hours relative to a narrowbody spent stopping, compared to the one extra hour a day it would spend on the typical two flights a day for intercontinental flights.

Flew Air France A-380 and it was the quietest and most comfortable wide body I've been on.

Informative video👍

Wonderful and relevant video.

I hope to see some of the A380's flying Air India's international routes... this will be huge!

Very educational, enjoyed this video. 👍

Excellent Analysis... liked it.

Would love to see it! Always surprised it never became more popular with Chinese carriers~