Ex-Lufthansa, Malaysia Airlines A380s Set for Scrapping
Three former Airbus A380-800s previously operated by Lufthansa and Malaysia Airlines are set to be dismantled for parts by VAS Aero Services. The aircraft involved are D-AIME (msn 61), D-AIMF (msn 66), and EI-HKC (formerly 9M-MNC, msn 84). All three are currently owned by Airbus Financial Services.
VAS Aero Services plans to resell the salvaged components on the secondary parts market, while the Rolls-Royce Trent 900 engines from the aircraft will be made available for lease. The company cited ongoing demand for A380 parts, particularly as deliveries of Boeing’s next-generation 777X remain delayed until at least 2026.
“With 777X deliveries postponed, airlines are increasingly turning to the A380 to meet long-haul capacity needs,” said VAS Aero Services CEO Tommy Hughes.
The aircraft will be dismantled in partnership with Tarmac Aerosave. According to fleet data, the two ex-Lufthansa jets, built in 2010, are stored in Teruel, Spain, while the former Malaysia Airlines A380, built in 2012, is parked at Lourdes/Tarbes in France. All three have been out of service since 2020.
Airbus produced a total of 254 A380-800s, but only 182 remain in service. Emirates remains the largest A380 operator, with 118 aircraft still active. Lufthansa once operated 14 A380s, of which only eight are currently in use. Malaysia Airlines retired its entire A380 fleet of six aircraft by 2022.
The scrapping of these superjumbos reflects the changing dynamics of the widebody aircraft market, as operators seek to optimize fleet efficiency and maintenance costs.
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Sources: AirGuide Business airguide.info, bing.com, ch-aviation.com