Though it’s all in the past, it’s still interesting to remember the well-known Malaysia Airlines Airbus A380, which flew over the country for ten years and connected people all over the world to and from Malaysia. The aircraft served as the airline’s flagship.

Among the popular A380 operators in the world, Malaysia Airlines also had a slot in their team. However as the pandemic hit, airlines were forced to ground the super jumbos because they acquired a large amount of operating expenses.

Malaysia Airlines’ A380

The airline acquired a total of six Airbus A380s which first delivery was in May 2012 aircraft (9M-MNA), followed by the second aircraft (9M-MNB) on August, and then less than one year later, they received the final A380 in March 2013.

• 9M-MNA (delivery May 2012)
• 9M-MNB (delivery Aug 2012)
• 9M-MNC (delivery Nov 2012)
• 9M-MND (delivery Nov 2012)
• 9M-MNE (delivery Feb 2013)
• 9M-MNF (delivery Mar 2013)

These superjumbos served Malaysian Airlines for ten years. The airline deploys these aircraft for their long and medium-haul operation, such as London, Sydney, Paris, Hong Kong, and a few more. A significant amount of passengers were making their way to these locations. The fleet could accommodate 494 passengers, which are 8 first class, 66 business class, and 420 economy class in a 3 configuration.

As the pandemic hit, the airline grounded these super jumbos individually, eventually leading to retirement. During the pandemic period, the super jumbos were stored at Kuala Lumpur International Airport until they started the transfer of these aircraft in November 2022. The management was exploring options to sell or trade the A380s for other wide-body jets, as Airbus gave the acceptance to trade with A330Neos.

Line by line, the airline started transferring its A380 to a storage facility in Tarbes Lourdes Pyrenees, France. All six of the aircraft are being stored while they look for a new operator.

Malaysia Airlines Fleets

The airline’s current fleet has a mix of Airbus and Boeing ranging from 6 Airbus A330-200s, 15 A330-300s, 6 A350-900s, 43 Boeing 737-800s, and 50 Boeing 737 Maxs (Recently ordered aircraft).

As part of Fleet modernization strategy, MAG (Malaysia Airlines Group), on January 29, 2024, the airline ordered 12 brand new Airbus A330-900s, which will arrive later this year. The airline will expect 4 of the new aircraft type this year, alongside 8 of Boeing B737-8.

Furthermore, to improve its fleet renewal strategy, the airline will retrofit 6 of its Airbus A350-900s by 2026 to enhance the customer experience and align with the new Airbus A330neo cabin design.

Future of Airbus A380

Since the operators are not showing interest in the A380, it is very hard to predict the future of these superjumbos. Currently, Emirates is the largest operator of this variant, and several other airlines are as well.

The superjumbo will be revived by a British-based start-up airline, Global Airlines, which recently completed the initial flight test. The airline took ownership of Airbus A380-841 (9H-GLOBL), which was previously owned by China Southern Airlines. Global Airlines has entered an agreement to purchase four A380 aircraft and plans to start operation by mid-2024. The airline has brought hope to Avgeek regarding the A380.

Have you flown on A380? What was your experience? Feel free to share it with us.