Now production has ended, the secondary market for the Airbus A380 is struggling to take off. In a special publication released in 2020, Mark Broadbent considered the opportunities and obstacles and asked whether this was a feasible option
According to aviation industry analysts IBA, “a significant number of A380 leases are set to expire between 2023 and 2029”. Offering the out-of-lease aircraft on the second-hand market would be an obvious move, but it’s one that many consider to be short on credibility.
David Archer, a Senior Analyst with IBA, said the decision to end A380 production means the value of in-service examples over the long term is “uncertain”. In a report last year [2019], Archer said: “An aspect to consider in any remarketing situation is the high cost of transition that would be necessary in order to place it into service with an alternative carrier. Even going from one full-service operator to another, the differentiation in product and buyer furnished equipment offered is vast.”
Executives at British Airways and its parent company IAG had for several years said they would potentially be interested in second-hand A380s, but in an April 2019 le…
