We last took a look at the state of the British Airways long-haul fleet in late March. However, the aviation industry has changed an awful lot in the past half a year. As a result, Simple Flying decided to see precisely which aircraft British Airways is currently flying. We classified a plane as active if it has flown a scheduled flight in the past seven days.
Airbus A350
First and foremost is the Airbus A350. Since we last looked at the state of the British Airways fleet, the airline has taken two more of the aircraft, giving a total fleet size of seven aircraft. The most recent delivery took place last week. It seems as though the Airbus A350 is proving incredibly popular for British Airways, as the entire fleet is currently operating flights.
Airbus A380
While Korean Air has woken one of their Airbus A380s from slumber, British Airways is yet to follow. For the time being, the airline’s entire fleet of Airbus A380s remains grounded, with the fleet resting its wings at Chateauroux in France. British Airways has yet to reveal the type’s fate. However, unlike Air France and Lufthansa, it is not expected to retire the type at this point.
Boeing 747
Sadly, the fate of the Boeing 747 has changed considerably in the past six months. When we last ran the numbers, 19 were grounded, with 12 remaining operational. However, now all of the aircraft have been retired from service. The airline is in the process of flying these jumbo jets to their final resting places. However, their retirement has meant that British Airways no longer has a vast surplus of aircraft.
Boeing 777
With the Boeing 747 out of the door, the Boeing 777 has become the backbone of the British flag carrier’s fleet. Having received its first Boeing 777 in six years last week, the airline now has 56 of the type. It retired two old 777s since the start of the current crisis. However, the Boeing 777 fleet is the most diverse in terms of its fate. Several of the aircraft are being stored at the airline’s Cardiff heavy maintenance base. The remainder is split between Heathrow and Gatwick, with 18 remaining grounded, while 38 are operational.
Boeing 787
Last but not least, in the British Airways’ long-haul fleet is the Boeing 787. Last time we looked, the airline only had the -8 and -9. However, during the summer, it took delivery of its first two 787-10s. This means that the airline now has 32 Dreamliners. Of these, only two aircraft are grounded. G-ZBKA hasn’t flown since September 25th. Meanwhile, G-ZBKN hasn’t flown since September 2019. Since this aircraft has been grounded since before the current situation, it is likely affected by the Trent 1000 issues.
When did you last fly long-haul with British Airways? Let us know your experience in the comments!
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