Airline flies empty A380s to nowhere to keep its pilots flight-ready

Ensuring crew stay certified is one of the challenges carriers face as they grapple with the pandemic

FILE: An Airbus SAS A380 super jumbo performs a flying display on day two of the 51st International Paris Air Show in Paris, France, on Tuesday, June 16, 2015. Airbus SE, the France-based aerospace giant, which employs 14,000 people in Britain, where it manufacturers wings, said late Thursday that if Prime Minister Theresa May fails to broker an exit deal, it would lead to “severe disruption and interruption of U.K. production.” Airbus would be forced to “reconsider its investments in the U.K., and its long-term footprint in the country” if the country tumbled out of the bloc next year without a deal, the manufacturer said. Our editors select the best archive images on Airbus SE. Photographer: Jasper Juinen/BloombergShow less

Airlines are taking extreme measures to survive the pandemic, with Asiana Airlines flying the world’s biggest commercial plane more than 20 times, going nowhere and carrying no passengers, just to keep trainee pilots certified.

Keeping crew flight-ready is one of the challenges carriers face as they grapple with the unprecedented crisis that keeps more than a third of the world’s fleet grounded.

The empty Airbus A380 flew over South Korea for a few hours a day for three days in May to enable pilots of the 495-seat superjumbo to practice taking off and landing. The alternative – a trip to Thailand to use a simulator owned by Thai Airways International – was blocked because of travel bans, an Asiana spokesman said.

“Take-offs and landings of this plane cost a lot of money, and it’s money that needs to be used wisely, especially these days,” said Um Kyung-a, an analyst at Shinyoung Securities in Seoul. “Asiana is in a bind because it also can’t afford for its pilots to lose their licenses.”

Asiana had another 135 pilots who didn’t have enough flying time on its six A380s, but it couldn’t afford to keep flying the empty jet. In the end, the country’s transport ministry extended the pilots’ flying credentials as a special exemption. Japan’s All Nippon Airways, which operates two A380s, received a similar extension from Japan’s aviation authority.

Most of the big A380 operators, such as Asiana’s rival Korean Air Lines, have their own simulators.

An Asiana Airlines Airbus A380. The airline had another 135 pilots who didn’t have enough flying time on its six A380s, but it couldn’t afford to keep flying the empty jets. AFP

The International Civil Aviation Organisation has provided guidelines to state members on how to help pilots keep up their skills. Normally, pilots must have taken off and landed an aircraft at least three times within the previous 90 days to keep their licence.

The problem is acute for the biggest jets, which were designed for an age of mass travel. But Boeing’s 747 has more simulators and is used by many airlines, including Korean Air, for cargo flights, allowing carriers to rotate crews to keep them certified.

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Emirates A380 through the years

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  Airbus will stop production of its A380 superjet by 2021 Reuters

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  People look at a Emirates A380 airbus landing in Nice, south of France. AFP

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  Sheikh Mohammed takes a tour of an Emirates A380 during the opening ceremony of the Dubai Airshow in 2013. AFP

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  A visitor poses for a photo in front of an Emirates A380 Airbus passenger aircraft decorated with a giant portrait of UAE founding father Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan. AFP

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  Airbus and Emirates celebrate the 100th A380 in 2018. Courtesy Emirates

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  The A380 is the World biggest passenger jet . AP

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  Emirates will receive 14 more A380s from Airbus before the plane maker ends production. Courtesy Emirates

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  Airbus said Thursday it will stop making A380 superjumbo jets in 2021 after struggling to win clients. AP Photo

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  Interior of Business Class on an Emirates A380. Courtesy: Emirates

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  Interior of Business Class on Emirates A380. Courtsey: Emirates

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  An air stewardess arranges bedsheets of a double bed in a suite of Singapore Airlines' new Airbus A380 during a tour of the plane at Changi Airport in Singapore. AFP

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  An Airbus A380, the largest passenger jet in the world, in Dubai. The airline topped a list of attractive employers in a recent survey of Gen Y and Gen Z. EPA

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  The special Emirates A380 will be in service with the Real Madrid decal for six months. Courtesy Emirates

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  United for Wildlife Emirates A380 before its first flight to London. Courtesy Emirates Airline

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  An Etihad Airways A380 at the Formula One Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. Christopher Pike / The National

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  A Singapore Airlines Airbus in the snow at JFK, 2018. Reuters

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  Etihad Airways economy on an A380. Courtesy Etihad

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  The Lobby of an Etihad Airways A380. AFP

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  Aermacchi MB-339 jets from UAE's Al-Fursan display team perform with an Airbus A380 from Etihad Airways before the start of the Abu Dhabi Formula One Grand Prix at the Yas Marina circuit. AFP

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  An Emirates Airbus A380 plane in Beirut, Lebanon. AP Photo

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  An Emirates Airline A-380 leads UAE's "Al Fursan" aerobatic display team, during the opening day of the Dubai Air Show. AP Photo

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  The tail of the Airbus A-380 at the 46th Paris Air Show. Getty Images

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  An Emirates Airbus A380 plane is seen at Nice International airport in Nice, France. REUTERS

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  An Airbus SAS A380 super jumbo performs a flying display on day two of the 51st International Paris Air Show in Paris, France. Bloomberg

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  Line Emirates is one of the airlines included in the TSA's emergency order. Courtesy Emirates

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  Tthe A380 has been Airbus’s flagship project for the past two decades. Bloomberg

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  A British Airways A380. Courtesy British Airways

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  A Singapore Airlines Airbus A380 at Beijing airport. AFP

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  New wheels on the Emirates A380. Courtesy Emirates

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  At Dubai's Miracle Garden, more than five million flowers were grown to produce a full-size Emirates Airbus A380. Courtesy Guinness World Records

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The International Air Transport Association said international air traffic may not return to pre-Covid levels until 2024.

One of the few that’s still flying the A380 is Emirates Airlines, which has the world’s biggest fleet of the superjumbos. The airline restarted A380 flights on July 15 to London Heathrow and Paris as Dubai eased travel restrictions.

Deutsche Lufthansa said last month its A380 jets will be mothballed for at least two years and may never return to service. Even before the virus, weak demand for the giant plane caused Airbus to announce it would stop making the A380 next year.

“It’s like you’re basically stuck with a 1990 car that’s running on diesel,” said Shukor Yusof, founder of aviation consulting firm Endau Analytics in Malaysia. “We’re going to see more heading to the scrapyard.”