Friday Flyer – August 4, 2023

The Airbus A380 has been back in the news a lot in the last few weeks.  I shared a story last week that Etihad began flying them again after being parked since the start of the pandemic.  This article shares the data on the share of A380 flying, showing that the number of airlines operating this type has continued to increase recently.  Emirates, the largest operator of the A380 invested in the planes by adding their premium economy cabin. So why the big deal about this airplane?  The simple reason is that most expected the pandemic to mark the end of the plane.  Airbus has stopped manufacturing it; airlines were complaining about the economics of it, and it has some practical issues.  However, all of those things have gone away as airlines are desperate for more capacity to satisfy the demand, so the plane lives on.

Links

• Speaking of desperation for capacity, here’s a story about American being in talks to buy up to 100 aircraft with either Boeing or Airbus.  The next question will be when do those orders come in.
• This is some analysis you don’t see often, but I thought it was interesting.  These are three routes that no one is flying yet.  This is the type of analysis that Network Planners work on every day, so it’s interesting to see some of the data and thought that goes into opening a new market.
• This was a creative idea for two airlines to solve their capacity constraint.  Both airlines, Flair and Bonza, operate similar aircraft type and are owned by the same Private Equity firm. Given the different hemispheres, the two airlines are on opposites sides of the seasonality curve.  That means that at certain times of year, each airline will need less capacity.  Luckily, that corresponds to exactly when the other airline will need it.  That’s exactly what these two airlines have agreed to.  Bonza will take some of these planes during their peak season and get use out of them.
• Accessibility in airplanes is becoming a bigger topic in the last year with the goal of trying to ensure that everyone has a good experience and is able to fly.  A step in that direction happened last week when United announced that they would be adding Braille to the interior of their planes.  It’s a small step, but a good one to march towards that goal. 

Interesting Aviation Fact

Flights just keep getting longer and longer.  Some people like the ultra-long haul flying, while others don’t. No matter your opinion, it is interesting to look at the longest flights currently operating in the world.

Cool Aviation Photo

With all the A380 talk, I thought it would be good to share a picture of one.  This picture was taken at Sydney Airport and is one of Emirates many Airbus A380s.