Which Airlines fly the A380 to the UK?

Sam
Apr 28
3 min read

To most, the golden age of flying is over. The heydays of the 1950's are well behind us. The most common experience when flying is in a cramped economy seat towards the back of the plane.

There is a relative saviour out there in the form of the Airbus A380. With it's double decker prowess, this aircraft gives airlines a chance to flush it out with larger, more luxurious cabins, the closest a passenger will likely get to that golden age.

The UK has the second highest amount of A380 operations in the world, behind the UAE thanks to Emirates home base of Dubai. The UK has a high proportion of slot controlled airfields due to space constraints, meaning if airlines wish to add more seats then adding more flights are unlikely due to slot restrictions, so the alternative is to add higher capacity aircraft.

As of April 2025 there are six airlines operating the A380 to the UK, these include:

Emirates

Emirates is the largest operator of the A380, with an enormous 116 of the whale in its fleet. Emirates has been a significant player in connecting the UK to destinations across the globe via its hub in Dubai. Emirates operates numerous A380 flights to various airports including:

Heathrow 6x daily
Gatwick 2x daily
Manchester 3x daily
Birmingham 1x daily
Glasgow 1x daily

They offer perhaps the most social media documented cabin in the world in their First Class product, with cabin high walls, caviar service, and Dom Perignon, this is a cabin to savour.

British Airways

British Airways operate the second largest A380 fleet in the world, behind Emirates. If you've seen how compact Heathrow is, I think you'll understand why! BA utilises the A380 on high-capacity routes from Heathrow to various destinations including Los Angeles, San Francisco, Miami, Johannesburg, and Singapore. The British Airways A380 operates in a four class configuration featuring First Class, Club World, Premium Economy, and Economy. Whilst these birds are getting a little bit dated interior wise, BA are one of the few to offer an Economy section upstairs in a 2-4-2 layout. What this means, is that if you are able to snag yourself a window seat, you will not only have a glorious window to peer out, but also storage right next to your seat.

British Airways A380 Economy — Upstairs World Traveller on British Airways A380

Singapore Airlines

Singapore Airlines were the launch airline of the A380 back in 2008. They

operate an A380 twice daily, both to Heathrow. These whale birds are equipped with Singapore Airlines newest and best first class product to date, the Suite. These are in effect mini apartments, which when travelling as a pair, can be combined together to make one big suite, featuring a double bed abridging the two suites! We hope to fly this product one day, and of course bring you along with us too!

Qatar Airways

Qatar operate a fleet of eight A380's. Famously, the aircraft that the old CEO Abdul al Baker once described as "the biggest mistake we did, to purchase A380s.”That being said, it does prove a valuable workhouse for Qatar. The A380 operates three types of routes: Firstly, to the slot restricted airports of Heathrow, and Paris Charles de Gaulle. Secondly, to Perth and Sydney in Australia, where Qatar was only allowed to operate a limited amount of flights, so operating a big aircraft alleviates those problems. Lastly, to Bangkok, where despite operating up to seven flights a day, no amount of seats is ever enough. Qatar operates the A380 twice daily to Heathrow. Qatar's A380's operate their only true First Class cabin, with Qatar famously prioritising their Business Class as "First in Business".

Qantas

Qantas may have the most well travelled A380's in the world. Operating once a day from Sydney to London, via Singapore, the A380's operate predominantly to other hub airports allowing Australian's to connect on. Other than London, and Singapore, the A380's fly to Johannesburg, Los Angeles, and Dallas-Fort Worth. Johannesburg being the base of Qantas codeshare partner Airlink, and Los Angeles and Dallas being hubs for Oneworld alliance partner American Airlines.

Etihad

Etihad Airways operate a fleet of seven A380's, allowing them to operate twice daily to Heathrow. The highlight of Etihad's A380 fleet is undoubtedly "The Residence". The Residence is a three room apartment at the front of the upper deck, which includes a lounge, a bedroom, and your own bathroom, with shower! This operates as a supplement to a normal First Class ticket, this the add on costing up to £10,000 on top of the First Class ticket.