Summary

  • Dubai International Airport (DXB) is the top spot to see the Airbus A380 this winter, with 518 weekly A380 operations by Emirates alone.
  • London Heathrow (LHR) is another popular airport for A380 sightings, with 150 weekly operations and British Airways being the largest carrier.
  • Singapore’s Changi International (SIN) and Sydney International (SYD) also see a significant number of A380 flights, with 92 and 73 weekly operations respectively.

SIMPLEFLYING VIDEO OF THE DAY

SCROLL TO CONTINUE WITH CONTENT

We can all agree that winter is not the best time to spend outdoors. However, if you like plane spotting, you don’t want to miss the chance to take a romantic snap of snowy runways and aircraft. Also, parts of the winter season can be a very busy time, with demand for air travel peaking during the Holiday season. However, if you have to deal with freezing temperatures, you deserve to spot some good stuff, like, say, lots of Airbus A380s.

According to data gathered from Cirium, this December, there will be 1,603 weekly flights operated by A380s for a total capacity of 3.2 billion available seat miles (ASM), or 803,396 seats. On a global basis, the busiest days of the week for A380 operations will be Mondays and Saturdays, with 231 and 232 daily flights, respectively.

VH-OQB Qantas Airbus A380-842 (1)

Photo: Vincenzo Pace I Simple Flying

Although the A380 was, together with the Boeing 747, the aircraft type that suffered the most the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic, the December A380 schedule is solid proof that this aircraft still plays a relevant role in the industry. Therefore, irrespective of where you are based, you can admire the massive double-decker aircraft gently touching the ground or slowly lifting toward the endless skies.

If you want to take the perfect snap of the Airbus A380 to show it off at the Christmas dinner, Simple Flying has put together the five best airports where you will most likely see one this winter.

1 Dubai International Airport (DXB)

518 weekly A380 operations from DXB

Dubai International Airport (DXB) is the hub of Emirates Airlines, which, more than any other, invested in the Airbus A380. The Emirati airline owns the largest A380 fleet in the world, with 119 aircraft.

Therefore, it is unsurprising that Dubai International ranks first in the top five airports where you will most likely spot the Giant of the Skies this winter. In December, Emirates alone will operate 511 weekly A380 flights from Dubai. The following table summarizes the top ten routes in terms of weekly capacity.

Airline

Origin

Destination

Mon

Tue

Wed

Thu

Fri

Sat

Sun

Ops per week

Seats

Emirates

Dubai (DXB)

London (LHR)

6

6

6

6

6

6

6

42

20,818

Emirates

Dubai (DXB)

Bangkok (BKK)

4

4

4

4

4

4

4

28

14,336

Emirates

Dubai (DXB)

Manchester (MAN)

3

3

3

3

3

3

3

21

11,557

Emirates

Dubai (DXB)

Cairo

3

3

3

3

3

3

3

21

10,869

Emirates

Dubai (DXB)

Jeddah (JED)

3

3

3

3

3

3

3

21

10,818

Emirates

Dubai (DXB)

Paris (CDG)

3

3

3

3

3

3

3

21

10,682

Emirates

Dubai (DXB)

Sydney (SYD)

3

3

3

3

3

3

3

21

10,199

Emirates

Dubai (DXB)

Mauritius (MRU)

2

2

2

2

2

2

2

14

7,840

Emirates

Dubai (DXB)

London (LGW)

2

2

2

2

2

2

2

14

7,252

Emirates

Dubai (DXB)

Moscow (DME)

2

2

2

2

2

2

2

14

7,248

Overall, there will be 518 weekly A380 take-offs at Dubai International, averaging 74 daily. Therefore, you will not fall short of opportunities to spot the massive aircraft at DXB!

shutterstock_2120902745

Photo: Markus Mainka I Shutterstock

2 London Heathrow

150 weekly A380 operations from LHR

London Heathrow (LHR) is renowned for being one of the world’s busiest aviation hubs. Additionally, it is the home airport of British Airways, whose fleet currently counts 12 Airbus A380s. Next December, six carriers will operate A380 flights from London Heathrow.

Airline

Origin

Destination

Mon

Tue

Wed

Thu

Fri

Sat

Sun

Ops per week

Seats

Emirates

London (LHR)

Dubai (DXB)

6

6

6

6

6

6

6

42

20,818

Etihad Airways

London (LHR)

Abu Dhabi (AUH)

3

3

3

3

3

3

3

21

10,206

British Airways

London (LHR)

Miami (MIA)

2

2

2

2

2

2

2

14

6,566

Qatar Airways

London (LHR)

Doha (DOH)

2

2

2

2

2

2

2

14

7,238

Singapore Airlines

London (LHR)

Singapore (SIN)

2

2

2

2

2

2

2

14

6,594

Qantas

London (LHR)

Singapore (SIN)

2

1

1

1

1

1

1

8

3,879

British Airways

London (LHR

Dallas (DFW)

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

7

3,283

British Airways

London (LHR

Dubai (DXB)

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

7

3,283

British Airways

London (LHR

Johannesburg (JNB)

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

7

3,283

British Airways

London (LHR

Los Angeles (LAX)

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

7

3,283

British Airways

London (LHR

San Francisco (SFO)

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

7

3,283

British Airways

London (LHR

Chicago (ORD)

1

1

0

0

0

0

0

2

938

BA A380 at LHR

Photo: Jarek Kilian I Shutterstock

Mondays and Tuesdays will give you the best chances to spot the Giant of the Skies, with 23 and 22 daily A380 flights out of the London airport, respectively. Unsurprisingly, the largest A380 capacity at LHR is offered by the home carrier, British Airways, with 51 weekly A380 operations, followed by Emirates, with 42, and Etihad Airways, with 21.

3 Singapore

92 weekly A380 operations from SIN

For the third-busiest A380 airport, we need to move more to the east, namely to Singapore.

This December, three carriers will be operating A380s from Changi International (SIN), as per the schedule below.

Airline

Origin

Destination

Mon

Tue

Wed

Thu

Fri

Sat

Sun

Ops per week

Seats

Emirates

Singapore (SIN)

Dubai (DXB)

2

2

2

2

2

2

2

14

7,007

Singapore Airlines

Singapore (SIN)

London (LHR)

2

2

2

2

2

2

2

14

6,594

Singapore Airlines

Singapore (SIN)

Sydney (SYD)

2

2

2

2

2

2

2

14

6,594

Qantas

Singapore (SIN)

London (LHR)

2

1

1

1

1

1

1

8

3,879

Qantas

Singapore (SIN)

Sydney (SYD)

1

2

1

1

1

1

1

8

3,879

Singapore Airlines

Singapore (SIN)

Auckland (AKL)

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

7

3,297

Singapore Airlines

Singapore (SIN)

Mumbai (BOM)

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

7

3,297

Singapore Airlines

Singapore (SIN)

Delhi (DEL)

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

7

3,297

Singapore Airlines

Singapore (SIN)

Hong Kong (HKG)

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

7

3,297

Singapore Airlines

Singapore (SIN)

Tokyo (NRT)

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

7

3,297

9V-SKR Singapore Airlines Airbus A380-841 (1)

Photo: Vincenzo Pace I Simple Flying

Additionally, if, at some point, you get bored of watching aircraft take off and land (although the chances of this happening are very low), you should know that Changi International is much more than an airport. The airport management had a vision to turn this international hub into a lifestyle and retail attraction, and the “Jewel” complex is the perfect example of this strategy. Here, you can admire the world’s tallest indoor waterfall, the Rain Vortex, or spend time with friends or family in the Canopy Park, with its wide offer of unique entertainment options, including slides and hanging nets you can climb!

Read More: 5 Fun Facts You Didn’t Know About Singapore Changi Airport’s Wondrous “Jewel” Complex

4 Sydney

73 weekly A380 operations from SYD

The further east you go, the more chances there are that flights to the Western part of the world are operated with the A380s. Australia is a good example. Sydney International, for instance, will see a total of 73 weekly A380 operations this December.

Airline

Origin

Destination

Mon

Tue

Wed

Thu

Fri

Sat

Sun

Ops per week

Seats

Emirates

Sydney (SYD)

Dubai (DXB)

3

3

3

3

3

3

3

21

10,199

Singapore Airlines

Sydney (SYD)

Singapore (SIN)

2

2

2

2

2

2

2

14

6,594

Qatar Airways

Sydney (SYD)

Doha (DOH)

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

7

3,619

Qantas

Sydney (SYD)

Los Angeles (LAX)

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

7

3,395

Qantas

Sydney (SYD)

Singapore (SIN)

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

7

3,395

Emirates

Sydney (SYD)

Christchurch (CHC)

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

7

3,388

Asiana Airlines

Sydney (SYD)

Seoul (ICN)

1

1

0

1

0

1

1

5

2,475

Qantas

Sydney (SYD)

Hong Kong (HKG)

0

0

1

0

1

1

1

4

1,936

A7-API Qatar Airways Airbus A380-861 (1)

Photo: Vincenzo Pace I Simple Flying

An interesting fact about A380 operations at Sydney International is that Emirates’ A380 flight to Christchurch is a Fifth Freedom Flight, i.e., a flight between two countries, neither of which is the home country of the operating airline. In this example, although Emirates is based in Dubai, it operates a non-stop service between Sydney, Australia, and Christchurch, New Zealand.

Read More: Emirates’ Fifth Freedom Routes – An Ultimate Guide

How can you distinguish between a fifth freedom flight and a technical stop-over? Let’s consider the following example. Emirates offers flights between its hub, Dubai International, and Christchurch, New Zealand, with a stop-over in Sydney. At the Australian airport, the Emirati carrier employs fifth freedom rights. Indeed, Emirates is allowed to market tickets just for the second leg of the journey, SYD-CHC. If this were not the case, the stop-over in Sydney would be just for operational reasons, such as refueling.

5 Bangkok

57 weekly A380 operations from BKK

Although Thai Airways no longer operates the Giant of the Skies, Bangkok Suvarnabhumi Airport (BKK) has the fifth-busiest A380 schedule this winter. Four carriers will operate the massive aircraft from Bangkok, one of which is European.

Airline

Origin

Destination

Mon

Tue

Wed

Thu

Fri

Sat

Sun

Ops per week

Seats

Emirates

Bangkok (BKK)

Dubai (DXB)

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

7

3,633

Lufthansa

Bangkok (BKK)

Munich (MUC)

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

7

3,563

Asiana

Bangkok (BKK)

Seoul (ICN)

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

7

3,465

Qatar Airways

Bangkok (BKK)

Doha (DOH)

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

7

3,619

lh a380

Photo: Markus Mainka I Shutterstock

Lufthansa recently inaugurated the first A380 flight between its second-largest hub in Munich and Bangkok. The decision of the German carrier lies in the upsurging demand for air travel to Thailand and the positive impact the A380 still has on brand awareness and customer satisfaction.

According to Lufthansa, passengers love this aircraft because of its level of personal space onboard, quietness, and objective beauty. Additionally, the A380 is a strong ally for airlines willing to capture as much demand as possible and leverage the high yields of premium cabins, especially first class. Before the A380, for instance, Lufthansa operated the Airbus A350 between Munich and Bangkok, whose most premium cabin is business class. However, the A380 will now allow Lufthansa to capitalize on its most trusted and attached customers willing to pay premium prices to enjoy the perks of the airline’s elitarian cabin.

Are you planning any A380 trip this upcoming winter? Let us know by clicking on the comment button below!

  • rsz_airbus_50th_years_anniversary_formation_flight_-_air_to_air

    Airbus

    Stock Code:
    AIR

    Business Type:
    Planemaker

    Date Founded:
    1970-12-18

    CEO:
    Guillaume Faury

    Headquarters Location:
    Toulouse, France

    Key Product Lines:
    Airbus A220, Airbus A320, Airbus A330, Airbus A340, Airbus A350, Airbus A380

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *