Como depenar um avião. A Emirates e o economics do A380

Emirates has been purchasing 29 A380 aircraft during its most recent fiscal year, which are currently being used under leasing contracts. However, many of these aircraft will not fly again and will be cannibalized for parts. This move is part of Emirates' strategy to use A380s until at least 2040, even after the model's production line was closed in 2021.

Emirates is bucking industry trends that are abandoning the A380 due to it being economically unviable. The company now operates over 90 A380s in service and several more on standby. The A380 is the world's largest passenger aircraft, capable of carrying up to 615 passengers, and was once touted as a revolutionary force in the aviation sector.

However, it arrived too late as the industry was moving towards larger hubs to handle the growth in passenger numbers. When the A380 first debuted in 2007, it fit this trend perfectly by transporting many passengers in a single flight between hubs. However, this changed in the 2010s with the introduction of newer aircraft with greater range.

Airlines began avoiding hubs and operating direct flights to destinations using smaller planes, often nearly full. This trend continues today. For Emirates, strategically located with a hub in Dubai, the A380 is essential for flights from major hubs like London or New Delhi, as arriving in Dubai allows connections to anywhere in the world.

The hub strategy has been financially successful for Emirates. In the fiscal year 2025-26, the company reported its highest annual profit ever, reaching $6.2 billion. With the A380 central to this strategy and being abandoned by other airlines, Emirates has been buying the models used under leasing (by itself and other companies) to acquire parts that have become scarce since Airbus ended production.

According to ch-aviation, over 30 A380s have been taken out of service worldwide, making up more than 12% of all A380s ever built. The declining popularity of the model has been so significant that the difference between the price of a new A380 and its resale value is the largest for any commercial aircraft in recent history, according to Simple Flying.

The final price of an A380 from Airbus before production ended was about $445 million. Currently, used A380s are being traded between $25 million and $60 million, depending on the age of the aircraft, total flight hours, and maintenance status. As the entire aircraft has become devalued, the parts have become a good investment. The Trent 900 or Engine Alliance GP7200 engines are the most expensive parts of the aircraft (using four turbines) and can cost up to $480,000 per month on lease.

A complete set of these components can cost between $15 million and $20 million when sold. A new set of landing gear costs about $25 million, while turbine engine overhauls range from $3 million to $5 million per engine. Avionics, flight control equipment, and hydraulic pumps also have high costs in the market, making the sale of parts more advantageous than selling the entire aircraft.