Summary
- Pre-pandemic, China Southern Airlines successfully operated a profitable Airbus A380 fleet despite high operating costs.
- Due to the impact of COVID-19, the airline decided to retire its A380 fleet, with all five planes heading to Mojave for scrapping.
- The former China Southern A380, B-6140, was later purchased by Global Aviation Group.
As the only airline in China that has operated the Airbus A380 to date, China Southern Airlines received five A380 aircraft between October 2011 and February 2013. Subsequently, the carrier primarily used its A380s for international long-haul routes (such as Beijing to Los Angeles and Guangzhou to Sydney) and flagship domestic routes, such as Guangzhou to Beijing.
Over the years, China Southern Airlines’ Airbus A380 aircraft achieved many remarkable performances, including being the only profitable A380 fleet globally in 2019. However, after the outbreak of the global COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, the civil aviation industry suffered an unprecedented blow, with many international routes being forced to suspend or reduce flights.
Photo: Aerovista Luchtfotografie | Shutterstock
The Airbus A380, as a giant passenger aircraft, was particularly hard hit, with its high operating and maintenance costs making it difficult to meet market demand. Therefore, China Southern Airlines decided to retire its A380 fleet.
On December 21st, 2022, the last two of China Southern Airlines’ Airbus A380 aircraft left Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport (CAN), officially declaring that China Southern Airlines’ fleet no longer had any A380 aircraft.
The registration numbers of the five A380s operated by China Southern Airlines are consecutive, namely B-6136, B-6137, B-6138, B-6139, and B-6140. So, what has happened to these five A380s retired by China Southern Airlines?
|
MSN |
Regitration |
Location |
Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|
|
31 |
N291JM (Was B-6136) |
Mojave (MHV) |
Scrapped |
|
36 |
N296JM (Was B-6137) |
Mojave (MHV) |
Unclear |
|
34 |
N110PK (Was B-6138) |
Mojave (MHV) |
Unclear |
|
88 |
N115PK (Was B-6139) |
Mojave (MHV) |
Unclear |
|
120 |
9H-GLOBL (Was B-6140) |
Mojave (MHV) |
Stored |
China Southern’s first two A380
China Southern Airlines’ first two Airbus A380s were registered as B-6136 and B-6137. B-6136 was delivered on October 12th, 2011, while B-6137 was delivered two months later, on December 16th. A few days after delivery, they were both ferried to the carrier’s hub in Beijing.
Fast forward to 2022, and on February 24th, B-6136 and B-6137 took off from Guangzhou Baiyun Airport. After a brief stopover at Victorville Airport in California, USA, they eventually arrived at the Mojave “aircraft graveyard” in southeast California.
Following their retirement, they were purchased by an aircraft asset trading company named Jet Midwest to be dismantled into parts for resale. Consequently, their registration numbers were changed to N291JM and N296JM, making them the first two A380s registered in the US.
On March 8th, 2022, Jet Midwest announced officially that they would commence the dismantling of the A380 aircraft. The dismantled components include but are not limited to: APU (Auxiliary Power Unit), landing gear, tires and brakes, avionics equipment, and so forth.
Public information indicates that Jet Midwest is a company engaged in trading commercial aircraft, engines, and spare parts. It also provides innovative product support solutions and maintenance services.
China Southern’s third A380
As reported by ch-aviation, B-6138 (MSN 54) was placed on order by China Southern Airlines on May 1st, 2005. It took its inaugural flight on August 12th, 2011, and was delivered to China Southern on February 28th, 2012. With a seating capacity of 506 across three classes, the aircraft logged 28,969 flight hours by the end of September 2022, which amounts to roughly 3.3 years of flight time across 4,573 flights.
On December 2nd, 2022, China Southern Airlines’ third A380 aircraft, B-6138, also departed from Guangzhou and flew to the US. After arriving in the US, B-6138 was re-registered as N110PK. Its new owner remains Jet Midwest.
China Southern’s last two A380
China Southern Airlines’ last two A380s were registered as B-6139, which was delivered on September 13th, 2012, and B-6140, which was delivered on February 28th, 2013. On November 5th, 2022, B-6140 operated the final commercial flight for China Southern Airlines’ A380 fleet. On December 21st, 2022, B-6139 and B-6140 left Guangzhou together, heading to Mojave, similar to the previous three aircraft.
All five of China Southern Airlines’ A380s headed to Mojave after retirement because the contract specified Mojave as the designated scrapping location when the A380s were originally purchased or leased. On the same day, Airbus announced on its official Weibo account: “Today, China Southern Airlines’ A380 fleet officially concludes its illustrious mission.”
A new lease of life?
In February 2024, one of China Southern Airlines’ former Airbus A380s, B-6140, was purchased by Global Aviation Group, headquartered in London. Although the purchase price was not disclosed, market rumors suggest that the company acquired the A380 for much less than China Southern’s brand-new purchase price of around $400 million.
Currently, B-6140 has been re-registered in Malta as 9H-GLOBL. After undergoing maintenance and refurbishment, Global Aviation Group plans to launch flights in 20254, deploying the aircraft on regular commercial routes between London and major US markets such as New York and Los Angeles.