An Asiana Airlines A380 plane taxis on the tarmac in Incheon, South Korea, in 2019 (Bloomberg)
Strong points
- Airlines take extreme measures to survive pandemic
- Keeping the crew ready to fly is one of the challenges carriers face
- The pandemic has forced more than a third of the world’s fleet on the ground
Airlines are taking extreme measures to survive the pandemic, with Asiana Airlines Inc. flying the world‘s largest commercial aircraft more than 20 times, going nowhere and carrying no passengers, just to keep the trainee pilots certified.
Keeping the crew ready to fly is one of the challenges carriers face as they face the unprecedented crisis that keeps more than a third of the global fleet on the ground.
The empty Airbus SE A380 flew over South Korea for a few hours a day for three days in May to allow pilots of the 495-seat superjumbo to practice take-off and landing. The alternative – a trip to Thailand to use a simulator owned by Thai Airways International Pcl – has been blocked due to travel bans, a spokesperson for Asiana said.
“Takeoffs and landings of this plane cost a lot of money, and it’s money that needs to be put to good use, especially these days,” said Um Kyung-a, analyst at Shinyoung Securities Co. . in Seoul. “Asiana is at a stalemate because she also cannot afford for her pilots to lose their licenses.”
Asiana had 135 other pilots who didn’t have enough flight time on her six A380s, but she couldn’t afford to continue flying the empty jet. Ultimately, the country’s transport ministry extended the flight ratings of pilots as a special exemption. Japanese company All Nippon Airways, which operates two A380s, received a similar extension from the Japanese aviation authority.
Korean Air Lines A380 simulator.
Most of the major A380 operators, such as Asiana’s rival Korean Air Lines Co., have their own simulators.
The International Civil Aviation Organization has provided guidance to member states on how to help pilots maintain their skills. Normally, pilots must have taken off and landed an aircraft at least three times in the previous 90 days to maintain their license.
The problem is acute for the larger jets, which were designed for an era of mass travel. But the Boeing Co. 747 has more simulators and is used by many airlines, including Korean Air, for cargo flights, allowing carriers to rotate crews to keep them certified.
The International Air Transport Association has said international air traffic may not return to pre-Covid levels until 2024.
One of the few still flying the A380 is Emirates Airlines, which has the world‘s largest fleet of superjumbos. The airline relaunched its A380 flights on July 15 to London Heathrow and Paris as Dubai eased travel restrictions.
Deutsche Lufthansa AG said last month that its A380 planes will be put on standby for at least two years and may never return to service. Even before the virus, weak demand for the giant aircraft led Airbus to announce that it would stop manufacturing the A380 next year.
“It’s like you’re basically stuck with a 1990 diesel-powered car,” said Shukor Yusof, founder of aviation consulting firm Endau Analytics in Malaysia. “We’re going to see more heading for the scrapyard.”
