Qatar Airways says it will retire its fleet of Airbus A380 superjumbos.
Speaking at a media roundtable at Paris Air Show, Qatar Airways CEO Al Baker confirmed the fate of the A380 remained inescapable, saying “eventually, over a period of time, we will then ground them again.” Nonetheless, the move will not be as sudden as last time.
The A380s will be phased out as the airline will take delivery of A350 airplanes. Moreover, there are 18 other A350s awaiting delivery. Qatar Airways expects these will be delivered from 2025 onwards.
The A380s will it will have to be taken off gradually over a couple of years time.
Out of the 10 A380s that the airline owns, only eight are now back in service. Two superjumbos are still on the ground and Qatar Airways doesn’t plan to use them.
CEO Akbar Al Baker later described the superjumbos as the airline’s worst mistake.
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