Summary
- British Airways will maintain A380 aircraft until 2027 due to the Lufthansa Technik maintenance contract.
- BA A380 fleet consists of 12 aircraft with 4-class configuration and 469 seats.
- BA operates A380 on 8 routes across Asia, Africa, and North America for high-capacity flights.
British Airways (BA) is one of the few remaining airlines operating the Airbus A380-800 aircraft. Many of the types’ main operators, including Emirates, have retired their aircraft during the pandemic due to the lack of travel. They chose not to reinstate the aircraft back into the fleet because it is less efficient than twin-engine widebody aircraft.
British Airways A380
In 2022, British Airways renewed its contract with Lufthansa Technik, the maintenance provider for the A380, for another five years, which means that the aircraft will be a mainstay in the fleet until at least 2027.
Fleet data
According to Ch Aviation, the airline operates a fleet of 12 A380-800s. These are the aircraft and their operational status as of May 13th, 2024:
Aircraft Registration | Status | Delivery Date | Age |
G-XLEA | Active | 04 July 2013 | 11.52 |
G-XLEB | Active | 20 September 2013 | 11.28 |
G-XLEC | Active | 18th October 2013 | 11.15 |
G-XLED | Active | 17 January 2014 | 10.79 |
G-XLEE | Active | 06 March 2014 | 10.06 |
G-XLEF | Active | 15 May 2014 | 10.34 |
G-XLEG | Maintenance | 11 September 2014 | 10.06 |
G-XLEH | Active | 16 October 2014 | 9.99 |
G-XLEI | Active | 13 February 2015 | 9.56 |
G-XLEJ | Active | 10 November 2015 | 8.93 |
G-XLEK | Active | 03 February 2016 | 8.67 |
G-XLEL | Active | 22 June 2016 | 8.25 |
All BA A380s are configured in a four-class configuration: first class, business class, premium economy and economy class.
The aircraft has 14 open first-class suites, 97 lie-flatbeds in business class, 55 recliner seats in premium economy class, and 303 standard seats in economy class. The total capacity of the aircraft is 469 seats.

Related
17 Years Of Airbus A380 Passenger Flights: The World’s 10 Shortest Routes This Summer
The shortest service now has more flights than previously planned.
RELATED: 17 Years Of Airbus A380 Passenger Flights: The World’s 10 Shortest Routes This Summer
British Airways superjumbo routes
The quad-engine, double-decker aircraft is less efficient than its twin-engine widebody counterparts, but no other aircraft can provide the same capacity on packed long-haul flights.
Photo: Markus Mainka | Shutterstock
The airline operates the aircraft to eight destinations on three continents: Asia, Africa, and North America. Six of these destinations are in North America. Let’s break down the routes by continent.
Asia
British Airways flies its A380 to Changi International Airport (SIN) in Singapore. In June, the airline operates daily round-trip flights from its home base in London Heathrow International Airport (LHR).
The flight is 6,764 miles (10,885 km) long, the longest on the list. The route gives the airline a monthly capacity of 95.16 million available seat miles (ASMs).
The route is important because it gives BA customers from London a gateway into the rest of Asia. Singapore is also a large leisure and business hub for European passengers.
Africa
British Airways operates the A380 to one destination in Johannesburg, South Africa. The airline flies 30 times from LHR to O.R. Tambo International Airport (JNB) and back.
The flight is 5,260 miles (8,465 km) long. The route gives British Airways a monthly ASM of 79.07 million ASMs.
The Johannesburg routes serve as BA’s gateway into Africa. It’s one of the most popular destinations and a well-connected hub airport. From JNB, the airline’s codeshare partners fly passengers to other African countries.
North America
Massachusetts
British Airways operates the superjumbo on daily flights to Boston’s Logan International Airport (BOS). It is the shortest flight at 3,265 miles (5,254 km). The airline has operated this route for a while now and has no plans to stop anytime soon.
The route provides BA with 45.93 million ASMs in each direction for June.
Photo: EQRoy | Shutterstock
Texas
BA has operated the A380 to Dallas/Forth Worth International Airport (DFW), the busiest hub of its transatlantic partner American Airlines. However, the airline will cease operations with the A380 in October 2024. Replacing the superjumbo with the Boeing 787-10, which has a capacity of 283.
The A380’s usage on the 4,751-mile (7,645-km) route gives the BA and the route 14,070 seats for June and 66.84 million ASMs.
Virginia
BA operates daily flights to Dulles International Airport (IAD) in June and will continue to do so throughout the year. The route is the second shortest on the list, with a distance of 3,677 miles (5,917 km).
It provides the airline with 51.73 million ASMs per month in each direction.
California
British Airways flies the superjumbo to two destinations in California. California is the only state to receive the aircraft at two different airports: San Francisco International Airport (SFO) and Los Angeles International Airport (LAX).
The airline operates daily flights to both destinations, giving each route 14,070 seats per month each way.
The LHR to SFO route is 5,368 miles (8,638 km) long, while the LHR to LAX route is 5,456 miles (8,780 km) long. These two routes give BA 75.52 and 76.76 million ASMs, respectively.
Florida
BA operates the A380 on daily flights to Miami International Airport (MIA) but will increase that number to twice daily in October 2024.
The airline’s current monthly capacity for the 4,425-mile (7,121 km) route is 14,070 seats and 62.25 million ASMs, which will double in the coming months.
Looking ahead
According to aviation analytics company Cirium,, the data for BA’s A380 routes for June are as follows:
June 2024 | ||||||
Departure | Destination | Miles | Flights | Seats | Seats/Dep | ASM |
BOS | LHR | 3,265 | 30 | 14,070 | 496 | 45,938,550 |
DFW | LHR | 4,751 | 30 | 14,070 | 496 | 66,846,570 |
IAD | LHR | 3,677 | 30 | 14,070 | 496 | 51,735,390 |
JNB | LHR | 5,260 | 30 | 14,070 | 496 | 79,073,400 |
LAX | LHR | 5,456 | 30 | 14,070 | 496 | 76,765,920 |
LHR | BOS | 3,265 | 30 | 14,070 | 496 | 45,938,550 |
LHR | DFW | 4,751 | 30 | 14,070 | 496 | 66,846,570 |
LHR | IAD | 3,677 | 30 | 14,070 | 496 | 51,735,390 |
LHR | JNB | 5,260 | 30 | 14,070 | 496 | 79,073,400 |
LHR | LAX | 5,456 | 30 | 14,070 | 496 | 76,765,920 |
LHR | MIA | 4,425 | 30 | 14,070 | 496 | 62,259,750 |
LHR | SFO | 5,368 | 30 | 14,070 | 496 | 75,527,760 |
LHR | SIN | 6,764 | 30 | 14,070 | 496 | 95,169,750 |
MIA | LHR | 4,425 | 30 | 14,070 | 496 | 62,259,750 |
SFO | LHR | 5,368 | 30 | 14,070 | 496 | 75,527,760 |
SIN | LHR | 6,764 | 30 | 14,070 | 496 | 95,169,750 |
Total | 480 | 225,150 | 496 | 1,106,633,640 |

Related
British Airways Makes Big Changes To US Airbus A380 Flights This Winter
Here’s a look at the latest plan.