Between April and December, there are more than 110 scheduled Airbus A380
routes globally. The 10 longest airport pairs, whether nonstop or one-stop, involve three of the 10 superjumbo carriers: Emirates, Qantas, and Qatar Airways. While Sydney-Singapore-London Heathrow is necessarily first overall, Dubai-Auckland is top for nonstop operations. At the other end of the scale, April temporarily had the world’s new shortest A380 flight.
Airbus A380
First Delivery
October 15, 2007
All Nippon, Asiana, British Airways, Emirates, Etihad Airways, Korean Air, Lufthansa, Qantas, Qatar Airways, and Singapore Airlines continue to fly the double-decker. Global Airlines will do so in May using 9H-GLOBL, a 12.6-year-old A380. It expects to operate a round-trip charter service from Glasgow and Manchester to New York JFK. But caution is needed. It is not an “airline” in the true sense of the word, as it has no license. It is simply a brand name that a travel agency uses to charter an aircraft from Hi Fly Malta.
The 10 Longest A380 Flights: April To December
Photo: Spyros Vasileiou | Shutterstock
They are summarized below. Notice Sydney-Dallas/Fort Worth. In October 2024, Qantas confirmed the return of the 485-seat quadjet to the route between two oneworld hubs. After more than a five-year absence, the type’s return means it will be the world’s fourth-longest A380 flight but second for nonstop services. As British Airways temporarily pulled out of Dallas/Fort Worth in March, the Texas airport will regain superjumbo flights.
Qantas previously flew the A380 to Dallas between September 2014 and April 2020. When it returns in August, QF7 will leave New South Wales at 12:10 and arrive at 12:30 local time on the same day. Returning, QF8 will depart from the Lone Star State at 22:40 and return to Australia at 06:55+2. If there are good celebratory images, they’ll be in my jam-packed Weekly Routes article.
Nautical miles (km)
Route (April-December)
Airline
Comments (about the A380)
9,274 (17,175)
Sydney-Singapore-London Heathrow
Qantas
Daily. Fifth freedom rights
7,668 (14,201)
Dubai-Auckland
Emirates
Daily
7,650 (14,168)
Dubai-Sydney-Christchurch
Emirates
Daily. Fifth freedom rights
7,454 (13,805)
Sydney-Dallas/Fort Worth
Qantas
The A380 returns on August 11. Four weekly (the 787-9 operates on the other days)
7,246 (13,420)
Dubai-Los Angeles
Emirates
Daily
7,098 (13,146)
Dubai-Houston Intercontinental
Emirates
Daily
7,041 (13,040)
Dubai-San Francisco
Emirates
Daily
6,883 (12,747)
Melbourne-Los Angeles
Qantas
Twice-weekly
6,680 (12,371)
Doha-Sydney
Qatar Airways
Daily
6,597 (12,218)
Dubai-São Paulo
Emirates
Daily
Qatar Airways’ Only Entry In The Longest A380 Routes List
Photo: Steve Worner | Shutterstock
The ninth-longest airport pair is Doha-Sydney. Qatar Airways used the type to New South Wales’ capital between 2016 and 2020 and again from 2022. It is one of two Australian cities to see it in 2025, alongside Perth, but it’ll only appear in Western Australia between April and June.
Qatar Airways only has a daily service to Sydney, with the A380 exclusively deployed. However, partner Virgin Australia will lease 777-300ERs from Qatar Airways to operate four routes from Australia to Doha. This setup starts in June, with a daily Sydney flight. It is a means of Qatar Airways growing its Australian footprint, given the big bilateral restrictions that limit its own market access.
Related
Emirates’ Airbus A380s No Longer Fly To These 24 Destinations
They include two US airports.
Etihad’s New A380 Route Ranks 15th Longest
Photo: Wirestock Creators | Shutterstock
Unsurprisingly, the 11th-14th entries also involve Emirates, whose A380s have 77 to 79 daily takeoffs from Dubai. They are Sydney, Brisbane, Melbourne, and Washington Dulles. However, the 15th entry is new: Etihad between Abu Dhabi and Toronto.
Etihad will begin flying the 486-seat A380 to Toronto for the first time on June 24. It will replace the 371-seat A350-1000, which will fly to New York JFK instead. Significantly, Etihad’s superjumbos mean Canada has two A380 operators again, with Emirates flying the type from Dubai to Toronto (which ranks 16th longest globally). Not only will it be Toronto’s first time with two A380 users, but two aircraft will be on the ground simultaneously.
