Airbus and Heathrow Celebrate 10th Anniversary of First A380 to London
Heathrow and Airbus are celebrating the 10th anniversary of A380 operations at the airport, which began on March 18, 2008 with the arrival of the first A380 - a Singapore Airlines flight SQ308 from Singapore Changi airport, making Heathrow one of the first to welcome Airbus’ iconic double decker.
Heathrow is now the world’s busiest A380 airport by number of A380 operators, serving 78 million passengers a year. Every day, some 50 A380 flights carry 10 percent of Heathrow’s daily passenger traffic on a choice of nine airlines to reach 15 global destinations.
Passenger traffic doubles every 15 years and the A380 is and remains the best solution for absorbing growth by using aircraft slots more efficiently; especially where airport capacity is limited. Like no other aircraft, the A380 unlocks growth in a comfortable and eco-friendly way. The A380 is also a good neighbour and won a UK noise abatement society award in recognition of its low noise operations, generating 50 per cent less noise energy on departure than its nearest competitor, as well as up to four times less when landing
Simon Eastburn, director of airline business development at Heathrow said, “It’s been fantastic to see nine of our airlines welcome the Airbus A380 over the past decade. Ten years from first flight, this pioneering aircraft has helped us reduce noise and improve efficiency whilst supporting continued passenger demand for long haul routes. This is one of the most popular aircraft for many passengers so we look forward to celebrating this milestone with them.”
To celebrate the tenth anniversary, Airbus and Heathrow will surprise passengers landing at Heathrow on select A380 flights March 18 to 28 with A380 goodies. Ten lucky passengers will also receive VIP packs to continue their journey to London in style, including complimentary Porter service at the airport, Heathrow Express Business First tickets to Central London or WeKnowLondon Chauffeur Drive to winners’ chosen address, and a £250 WeKnowLondon voucher.
To date, more than 200 million passengers have enjoyed the A380 experience. According to a survey carried out by Epinion, 98 percent of A380 passengers would recommend flying on the A380 to their friends and family, and 60 percent are willing to make an extra effort to fly with the aircraft.
Flying with the world’s leading airlines on over 120 routes and 60 destinations, the A380 is the passenger’s favourite. Airbus’ iconic superjumbo jet offers more personal space and the widest seats in the sky in all classes, including economy class.
Building on passengers’ excitement around the flagship A380, Airbus launched the first booking assistant of its kind in 2016: iflyA380.com. In January, following the website’s success, Airbus unveiled the iflyA380 app, which enhances the website with more choices, features and content and new possibilities to interact with the A380.
David Dufrenois, head of A380 market development at Airbus, said, “The A380 is essential to the operations of Heathrow, which is today the first hub in the world for long haul traffic. As 70 percent of long haul-traffic connects through hubs, the unique A380 offer strengthens Heathrow’s passenger appeal over other airports."
