The 7 Airlines That Flew The Airbus A380 To The US & When They Stopped

The US’s first commercial flight on the Airbus A380 was in 2008. Since then, Cirium Diio data shows that the nation has had over 108,000 departures on the double-decker quadjet. Only the UAE and UK have seen the superjumbo more often.

In the past 17 years, seven A380 operators have ceased deploying the type to the US: Air France, China Southern, Etihad Airways, Global Airlines (only two round-trip flights; operated by Hi Fly Malta), Norwegian (used the type briefly; operated by Hi Fly), Qatar Airways (just once), and Singapore Airlines. Some of these carriers no longer exist or have stopped long-haul flying, while others have since retired the type or simply fly them elsewhere.

Details About The 7 A380 Carriers’ US Operations

Credit: Shutterstock

With almost 10,900 departures to the US in 11 years, Air France was by far the largest A380 operator of those mentioned below. It provided more than half of the seven carriers’ superjumbo services.

Six routes saw the SkyTeam member’s 516-seat frames. The first route was from Paris CDG to New York JFK—which is the world’s second-busiest airport for long-haul flights—in 2009. In early 2020, it flew to Miami, Los Angeles, and the Big Apple before being withdrawn from use.

Notice Norwegian. While the budget carrier no longer operates long-haul, it previously did so aboard the Boeing 737, the 787-9, and—yes—the A380. The huge quadjet was chartered at extreme cost from Hi Fly, with the aircraft temporarily replacing its 787s to the US due to engine inspections and replacements.

Etihad’s A380s Are No Longer Seen In The US

Credit: Etihad

On June 23, Etihad’s last A380 flight left New York JFK bound for its Abu Dhabi hub. The next day, the fast-growing carrier used the type to Toronto instead. The A350-1000 that was flown to Canada’s busiest airport was then used to JFK. I reviewed Etihad’s A350-1000 product earlier this year.

Etihad originally used the superjumbo to JFK in November 2015, with the Big Apple becoming an all-double-decker operation between June 2017 and November 2017 and from November 2018 to March 2020. After the COVID-19-driven grounding, the A380 returned to JFK in April 2024 and existed until June 23, 2025.

Global Airlines’ Inevitable Brief Foray

Credit: Global Airlines

Global was not an actual airline, as it did not have its own air operator’s certificate or operating license. Instead, it simply chartered 9H-GLOBAL, which it owned, from Hi Fly Malta, which operated the aircraft on its behalf. The 13.1-year-old frame, which was delivered to China Southern in 2013, is now stored in Tarbes.

The aircraft was used on two round-trip US charter services. On May 15, 2025, it flew between Glasgow and JFK, with the return leg on May 19. On May 21, the aircraft was ferried to Manchester, with Manchester-JFK service taking place later that day. The aircraft returned to the Northwest England airport on May 25.

The reason for the odd, multi-day stay in the US appears to have been that Global did not have permission to sell tickets from the US. As such, the passengers who flew out were the same ones who flew back. This epitomizes the inevitably short-term nature of Global’s existence.