Malaysia Airlines is selling its Airbus A380s. The airline had planned to sell these superjumbos six years ago. The airline has now announced the announcement on its LinkedIn page, stating that offers can be submitted until noon on August 12.
Malaysia Airlines operates six Airbus A380s, including the company’s 100th A380. Captain Izham Ismail, Group Chief Executive, said in a statement:
“We are aware of the difficulties in selling this aircraft, but we are still exploring for methods and means to dispose of our A380 fleets.” The management is currently certain that the A380 does not fit the plan.”
Malaysia Airlines’ A380s are only 9.2 years old on average. They were all delivered within a year and are now being stored at Kuala Lumpur International Airport. The four oldest A380s are each worth $44.89 million, while the remaining two are worth $46.89 million, for a total fleet value of $273.34 million.
During this pandemic, Airbus A380s have proved unreliable, with numerous carriers grounding or scrapping their A380 fleet. The Boeing 747 and A340, both quad jets, share the same fate as the A380. As a result, it is unclear whether anyone will be willing to purchase the Malaysian A380 for some time.
Malaysia Airlines is not the only airline that has decided to retire its superjumbos. Thai Airways has likewise retired its quad jet fleet, leaving just efficient twin planes in service.
The same may be said for Etihad’s aim to use just Boeing 787s and Airbus A350s for long-haul flights. Air France and Lufthansa have also decommissioned their A380 fleets. However, British Airways and Qantas still intend to return their A380s once the situation has stabilized.
