Airbus delivered the final A380 this week to Emirates, marking the end of a 16 year production run of 252 superjumbo aircraft. The aircraft (MSN 272) departed Airbus’ Hamburg facility bound for Dubai as the 123rd A380 in the Emirates fleet. The airline, by far the A380s best customer, has taken nearly 50 percent of the A380s delivered to a customer.
A final goodbye
After lifting off, A6-EVS circled back for a low pass over the Finkenwerder runway. The pass was low enough that calibrated altitude (which is reported in 25 foot increments) reported 0 feet—even though the wheels never touched the runway.
Why fly the wrong way?
In a word: paperwork. To complete the financial paperwork attached to the delivery of the aircraft, it needs to be in UK airspace. So the flight headed into UK airspace for a very short period and then continued home.
Airbus’ heartfelt goodbye
During the customer acceptance flight earlier this week, the aircraft drew a giant heart in the sky over Germany.
The final A380s delivered
| MSN | REGISTRATION | AIRLINE | FIRST FLIGHT (AGE) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 272 | A6-EVS | Emirates | Mar 2021 (Brand new) | |
| 271 | A6-EVR | Emirates | Feb 2021 (Brand new) | |
| 270 | A6-EVQ | Emirates | Nov 2020 (1 year) | |
| 269 | A6-EVP | Emirates | Aug 2020 (1 year) | |
| 268 | A6-EVO | Emirates | Oct 2020 (1 year) | |
| 267 | A6-EVN | Emirates | Feb 2020 (1 year) | |
| 266 | JA383A | All Nippon Airways | Oct 2019 (2 years) | |
| 264 | A6-EVM | Emirates | Dec 2019 (2 years) | |
| 263 | JA382A | All Nippon Airways | Dec 2018 (3 years) | |
| 262 | JA381A | All Nippon Airways | Sep 2018 (3 years) |
