How many Airbus A380s does Emirates have?

Emirates received its first A380 in July 2008 and its last, aircraft number 251 and the final one built, in December 2021. In total the Dubai airline ordered 123 units, far ahead of Singapore Airlines, Lufthansa, Qantas or British Airways, which each bought between one and two dozen. Without that order the programme would have closed much earlier: when Emirates cut its order from 162 to 123 aircraft in 2019, Airbus announced the end of production.

After the pandemic, Emirates returned almost the entire fleet to service and in 2025 operated around 116 A380s (June 2025 figure), after retiring some of the oldest airframes, which were already over fifteen years old. The figure can vary with each retirement and with the aircraft going through cabin retrofits, a programme started in 2022 that adds Premium Economy and renews First suites and Business seats. The A380s fly from Dubai to more than fifty destinations, in configurations from 484 to 615 seats.

Emirates' business model is built on a single hub connecting Europe, Asia, Africa and Oceania with high-capacity flights, exactly the scenario Airbus designed the A380 for. Without enough slots at congested airports like London Heathrow, a 500-seat aircraft performs better than two twinjets. The airline has stated its intention to keep the type in service until the mid-2030s, while it awaits the Boeing 777X and Airbus A350 that will gradually replace it.