Skift Take

Emirates, which took delivery of more than half of the A380 aircraft ever produced, is cannibalizing older aircraft to build a supply of spares to keep the aircraft flying.

Ajay Awtaney

When it comes to the Airbus A380 aircraft, only one airline truly bet its future on it: Emirates. 

But Airbus scrapped the program. It had projected it would build 1,000 and ultimately delivered just 251. Emirates took 123 of them. 

That presented a potential problem. Airlines like to keep widebody aircraft in their fleet for 20 to 30 years. With a limited market for the A380, the fear is there won’t be enough suppliers and service providers to provide upkeep into the 2040s. So Emirates is preparing for its future now.Emirates invited Skift to the Emirates Engineering Centre at Dubai International Airport, where the airline maintains its aircraft, to showcase how it is preparing for the next two decades with the A380. 

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