Two years after Airbus announced the end of its A380 production, the final superjumbo has taken flight for the first time.
Aircraft MSN 272, the last A380 to be built, completed its first flight in France on Wednesday, sporting Emirates colours on the tail.
Departing its Toulouse base around 1pm, the pilot of the A380 made a low pass and performed a wing-wave, before heading towards Germany at a cruising altitude of 43,000 feet.
The jet landed at Hamburg Finkenwerder Airport just after 4pm, after a flight time of about three hours and 10 minutes.
There is still a way to go for the final A380 aircraft, which will now undergo work, including painting, in Airbus's Hamburg facility.
It is expected to be delivered to the UAE in 2022.
Emirates confirmed to The National that it has five A380 jets still outstanding for delivery, including MSN 272.
500 tonnes and an 80-metre wingspan
Weighing more than 500 tonnes, Airbus's A380 consists of more than four million parts and has a wingspan of almost 80 metres. Emirates's fleet has 115 A380s and has been flying them for 13 years.
The airline turned the double-decker jet into a luxury flying machine, with private suites, shower spas and a communal bar.
Covid-19: the end of an era
Since the Covid-19 pandemic thwarted demand for passenger travel, Emirates has grounded the majority of its A380 fleet.
After being entirely out of service for four months in 2020, the airline reinstated A380s on a small number of passenger routes. The plane is also being used as a "mini-freighter" on select cargo charter operations.
In December, Emirates took delivery of three A380 jets, one of which was fitted with Emirates' first Premium Economy cabin.
The airline previously said it hopes to return the majority of its superjumbos to service in 2022.
The end of Airbus' A380 production was propelled by the onset of the coronavirus pandemic and the resulting dip in passenger demand for travel.
Previously called the "aircraft that reimagined flying", without people to fill the hundreds of seats on these colossal-sized jets, many airlines around the world were forced to retire or ground their A380s.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
EA Sports FC 26
Publisher: EA Sports
Consoles: PC, PlayStation 4/5, Xbox Series X/S
Rating: 3/5
The alternatives
• Founded in 2014, Telr is a payment aggregator and gateway with an office in Silicon Oasis. It’s e-commerce entry plan costs Dh349 monthly (plus VAT). QR codes direct customers to an online payment page and merchants can generate payments through messaging apps.
• Business Bay’s Pallapay claims 40,000-plus active merchants who can invoice customers and receive payment by card. Fees range from 1.99 per cent plus Dh1 per transaction depending on payment method and location, such as online or via UAE mobile.
• Tap started in May 2013 in Kuwait, allowing Middle East businesses to bill, accept, receive and make payments online “easier, faster and smoother” via goSell and goCollect. It supports more than 10,000 merchants. Monthly fees range from US$65-100, plus card charges of 2.75-3.75 per cent and Dh1.2 per sale.
• 2checkout’s “all-in-one payment gateway and merchant account” accepts payments in 200-plus markets for 2.4-3.9 per cent, plus a Dh1.2-Dh1.8 currency conversion charge. The US provider processes online shop and mobile transactions and has 17,000-plus active digital commerce users.
• PayPal is probably the best-known online goods payment method - usually used for eBay purchases - but can be used to receive funds, providing everyone’s signed up. Costs from 2.9 per cent plus Dh1.2 per transaction.
Islamophobia definition
A widely accepted definition was made by the All Party Parliamentary Group on British Muslims in 2019: “Islamophobia is rooted in racism and is a type of racism that targets expressions of Muslimness or perceived Muslimness.” It further defines it as “inciting hatred or violence against Muslims”.
The Birkin bag is made by Hermès.
It is named after actress and singer Jane Birkin
Noone from Hermès will go on record to say how much a new Birkin costs, how long one would have to wait to get one, and how many bags are actually made each year.
The biog
First Job: Abu Dhabi Department of Petroleum in 1974
Current role: Chairperson of Al Maskari Holding since 2008
Career high: Regularly cited on Forbes list of 100 most powerful Arab Businesswomen
Achievement: Helped establish Al Maskari Medical Centre in 1969 in Abu Dhabi’s Western Region
Future plan: Will now concentrate on her charitable work
In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
Brief scoreline:
Wolves 3
Neves 28', Doherty 37', Jota 45' 2
Arsenal 1
Papastathopoulos 80'
How Sputnik V works
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
It Was Just an Accident
Director: Jafar Panahi
Stars: Vahid Mobasseri, Mariam Afshari, Ebrahim Azizi, Hadis Pakbaten, Majid Panahi, Mohamad Ali Elyasmehr
Rating: 4/5
TALE OF THE TAPE
Floyd Mayweather
- Height
- Weight
- Reach
- Record
Conor McGregor
- Height
- Weight
- Reach
- Record
