On May 26, 2021, Qatar Airways CEO Akbar Al Baker said that the largest passenger aircraft Airbus A380 had no future in its fleet. The status of the Airbus A380 aircraft has been questioned by operators ever since the COVID-19 pandemic took its toll on the international travel market.
“The biggest mistake we made was the purchase of Airbus A380s,” Al Baker said while speaking at the Simple Flying live webinar, adding that the double-decker does more damage than benefits both Qatar Airways and the environment.
“We grounded the A380s simply because it is not a fuel efficient airplane,” Al Baker added.
Qatar Airways had a total of 10 Airbus A380s in its fleet, as per planespotters.net data. The airline grounded Super Jumbos after the COVID-19 pandemic took its toll on international air travel.
Furthermore, Qatar Airways CEO said it is heavily relying on more fuel efficient aircraft, such as Airbus A350s and Boeing 787 Dreamliners. Currently, the air carrier has a total of 53 Airbus A350 XWB aircraft and 47 Dreamliners.
However, while talking about the future of the airline’s sustainability plans, Qatar Airways said that it would change its Airbus A350s and Boeing 787 Dreamliners if “Boeing and Airbus introduced new generation aircraft”, which would be more fuel efficient with a low emission footprint.
“Qatar Airways heavily invests in aircraft that have lower emissions. We don’t let the average aircraft age exceed 10 years,” Al Baker said.