The Airbus giant will no longer be operated by Air France. He made his last flight under the colors of the French company Friday.
It is a precipitous end of career for one of the most emblematic planes in the Air France fleet. On Friday, an Airbus A380 in the colors of the French company flew for the last time. While Air France is going through a major crisis precipitated by the coronavirus pandemic, the company has decided to cease the operation of the large carrier, with the line recognizable by its double bridge. On board this final flight, 516 Air France employees who worked on this aircraft, which transformed the experience of long-haul flights. Pilots, hostesses and stewards, mechanics who had worked with the “three-eighty” made a loop over Roissy above France for two hours, reports AFP. Airport firefighters returned an “aquatic salute” to them, creating a spectacular water arch with their spears. On boarding, a hostess presented a sign with the inscription: “Thank you to the A380 teams.”
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Air France has ten A380s, which have made nearly 40,000 flights and transported 18 million passengers to the United States, China, South Africa or Mexico, recalls AFP. The aircraft’s last commercial flight took place on March 23, between Paris and Johannesburg.
The giant’s end of career was scheduled for the end of 2022 at Air France. The reason: too high operating costs. The pandemic, which has paralyzed air transport around the world, has led to a review of this calendar. “The overall impact of the depreciation of the Airbus A380 fleet is estimated at 500 million euros”, according to the company, cited by AFP. A first A380 was returned to the lessor Dr. Peters in January. Those who remain in Air France’s possession are located in Roissy (for six of them), in Tarbes (one aircraft) and at Teruel airport, in Spain (2). According to AFP, four of these planes will be returned to the rental company, while the other five, which the company owns, will be put up for sale.
Outstanding logistics
Airbus decided in February 2019 to end the A380 program. In early June, the sections of the last aircraft left Saint-Nazaire, in Loire-Atlantique, to join the Blagnac factory, near Toulouse. The manufacture of this extraordinary aircraft had imposed unprecedented logistics: between Langon, in Gironde, and Blagnac, night convoys ensured the transport of the most imposing sections of the aircraft. Roads had to be specially built to allow the convoy to travel on a “Large gauge route”. Upstream, part of the trip was made on barges going up the Gironde from Pauillac, as told in 2011 “South West”.
The final convoy carrying a section of A380 crosses Isle-Jourdain, in the Gers, before joining Blagnac, in Haute-Garonne, on June 17. © REMY GABALDA / AFP
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The A380’s first flight, on April 27, 2005, had been a world event. At the end of the runways at Blagnac airport, an enthusiastic crowd gathered to watch the aircraft take off. The plane had become a regular at the Bourget air show, where pilots regularly tried to demonstrate its maneuverability.
The Airbus A380 at the 2017 Paris Air Show
The huge four-jet engine was to bring the legendary Boeing 747, born … 36 years earlier, to nonsense. With its double deck, the Airbus can accommodate, depending on the configuration, up to 853 passengers. According to information published by Airbus, 251 A380s were ordered during his career and 242 were delivered to 15 companies. The A380s currently in service perform 330 flights per day, said the manufacturer in March. Very silent, including on board, the A380 also claimed polluting emissions compared to planes of the previous generation.
Retro Match:On board the first flight of the Airbus A380
These qualities were not enough to guarantee its commercial success. The last plane will be delivered to Emirates, Airbus’ biggest customer for the A380, in 2021. But for Emirates boss Tim Clark, the era of jumbo jets is over and the pandemic is over. requires turning the page: “We know that the A380 is over, the 747 is over. But the A350 and the 787 will still have a place, “he told the UAE daily” The National “in May.
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