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.

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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.

A British Airways Airbus A380

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.

British Airways Airbus A380 at London Heathrow Airport LHR shutterstock_2179773863

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

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  • British Airways Tile

    British Airways

    IATA/ICAO Code:
    BA/BAW

    Airline Type:
    Full Service Carrier

    Hub(s):
    London Heathrow Airport, London Gatwick Airport

    Year Founded:
    1974

    Alliance:
    oneworld

    Airline Group:
    IAG

    CEO:
    Sean Doyle

    Country:
    United Kingdom

    Loyalty Program:
    British Airways Executive Club

    Region:
    Europe

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