Surely the fleet will end soon: Qatar Airways uses two Airbus A380s as spare parts donors

The Airbus A380 is currently making an unexpected comeback. More and more airlines are bringing it back. So is Qatar Airways. Seven of the Gulf Air’s ten supercars are currently back in service, with others available as a reserve to be used in the event of breakdowns.

According to Akbar Al Baker, the other two supergiants are used as spare parts donors. However, the president of Qatar Airways is nothing but a fan of the double decker, which travelers love so much. “It’s different for airline chiefs,” he said last week on the sidelines of the ITB tourism fair.

2026 will be the end

Which is why the return of the super jumbo to Qatar Airways will not last long. “Within three years, all A380s will have left our fleet,” says Al Baker. In the past, this was simply not possible due to the strain on global supply chains. Originally, Gulf Air planned to decommission the A380 from 2024.

Qatar Airways is using what Al-Baker calls “uneconomical” because the company has grounded most of its Airbus A350s. The reason was a legal dispute with Airbus over paint problems. This has now been settled and Airbus is once again preparing deliveries to the golf airline.

All A380s are gone in three years

However, there are also delays in launching another long-range aircraft. Delays in Boeing 777X aircraft are also forcing Qatar to continue using the giant for some time. But “only for as long as it is absolutely necessary,” says Al-Baker.