• 

  British Airways

  IATA/ICAO Code:

  BA/BAW

  Airline Type:

  Full Service Carrier

  Hub(s):

  London Heathrow Airport, London Gatwick Airport

  Year Founded:

  1974

  Alliance:

  oneworld

  Airline Group:

  IAG

  CEO:

  Sean Doyle

  Country:

  United Kingdom

While it seemed as though British Airways stopped flying the Airbus A380 to Frankfurt in December 2021, this isn't the case. The airline has continued to regularly fly the giant of the skies to the Lufthansa stronghold. However, there's a catch. Passengers can't book tickets on these short-haul flights with the giant of the skies.

In November, British Airways resumed Airbus A380 flights, having removed the entire fleet from scheduled service at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. As most pilots and flight attendants hadn't flown the A380 for a year and a half, the type was initially placed onto short-haul routes allowing training issues to be ironed out on short sectors.

Still flying to Frankfurt

British Airways seemingly stopped flying the Airbus A380 to Frankfurt in early December when it stopped selling tickets for the route. However, this is far from the actual case.

The British flag carrier is still flying the giant of the skies to the home of the European Central Bank. FlightRadar24.com shows that an A380 has operated the route five out of the last seven days.

Discover more aviation news here.

So why can't you book tickets on these flights?

You may be wondering why you can't book tickets on these Airbus A380 flights. After all, one would think that British Airways would seek the profit attached to ticket sales. It seems to be all to do with the purpose of the flights.

British Airways isn't flying the A380 to Frankfurt for its passenger capacity but rather its freight capacity. The airline had three Boeing 747-8s at its disposal, though these left the airline many years ago. Today, IAG cargo doesn't have access to any dedicated freighters, so it uses the belly cargo space of other IAG aircraft.

We know that the A380 is being used to carry cargo due to its taxi pattern in Frankfurt. Currently, passenger terminals are only located to the north of the airport. When the A380 lands, it always taxis south. This part of the airport houses the Cargo City Süd facility.

Stay informed: Sign up for our daily and weekly aviation news digests.

British Airways has opted not to carry passengers on these dedicated freight flights. This could be for several reasons, such as a specific need for cargo facilities in Frankfurt. Not allowing passengers to book on these flights means that British Airways doesn't need to put cabin crew onto the flights and also has slightly less need to follow a strict schedule with the flights.

It isn't clear how long British Airways will continue to offer its short-haul A380 flights, but one thing is sure. As long as such flights continue, it seems as though passengers will continue to be unable to book passengers for these flights.

Have you seen a British Airways Airbus A380 in Frankfurt? Let us know what you think and why in the comments!