Unwanted Superjumbos stripped for spares
– A German investment company said on Tuesday it would strip two unwanted Airbus A380 superjumbo passenger jets for parts after failing to find an airline willing to keep them flying following a decision by Singapore Airlines not to keep them in service.
The decision by Dortmund-based Dr Peters Group deals a fresh blow to the planemaker’s efforts to maintain market interest in the double-decker, barely 10 years after it went into service hailed by heads of state as a symbol of European ambition.
UK-based aerospace analyst Howard Wheeldon said: “Psychologically it is not good for Airbus, but this is a very large aircraft
Sydney
with a very small second-hand market.”
Airbus did not respond to a request for comment.
Despite strong reviews for its quiet and spacious cabin, demand for the 544-seater has fallen as many airlines drop the industry’s largest four-engined aircraft in favour of smaller twin-engined ones that are more efficient, and easier to fill.
“It’s too big. There was a battle for airline fashions and it lost out,” Wheeldon said.
Airbus says the iconic jet will eventually prove itself as travel demand saturates airport capacity at major cities.
Singapore Airlines launched A380 services in December 2007, but returned the first two aircraft to their German financiers some 10 years later after deciding not to extend their lease.
The two discarded aircraft were flown to Tarbes in the French Pyrenees to be stored, and since then their fate has been uncertain as their owner looked for other takers. – Reuters