Summary

  • Emirates operates the largest all-widebody fleet, including 119 Airbus A380s, making it the largest operator of the superjumbo.
  • Thai Airways currently has an all-widebody fleet of 55 aircraft, but is likely to be removed from the list as it has 10 Airbus A321neos on order.
  • Virgin Atlantic has a widebody-only fleet, operating a mix of Airbus and Boeing aircraft, including 10 A330-900s, 10 A350-1000s, and 17 787-9s.

The widebody era began in 1970 with the introduction of the Boeing 747, which was soon followed by the McDonnell Douglas DC-10 and the Lockheed L-1011. The first twinjet widebody was the Airbus A330, launched in 1974.

Today, Airbus and Boeing dominate the widebody scene, with the Airbus A330, A350, and A380, and the Boeing 777 and 787 all proving popular with airlines around the world. Although traditionally thought of as long-haul aircraft, airlines often operate widebody aircraft on short-haul routes too, taking advantage of the extra passenger and freight capacity they provide.

The majority of airlines around the world today operate either only narrowbody aircraft or a mix of narrowbody and widebody aircraft. The benefit of having a mixed fleet is that it enables airlines to deploy appropriately-sized aircraft to each route within its network, depending on distance and capacity. There are, however, a small number of carriers that fly exclusively widebody aircraft. Which airlines fall into this category?

Emirates

From its base at Dubai International Airport (DXB), Emirates operates the largest all-widebody fleet of any airline. Data from ch-aviation.com shows that the carrier currently has 254 widebody passenger aircraft in its fleet, including 119 Airbus A380s, making it by far the largest operator of the superjumbo.

Emirates Airbus A380
Photo: Mariusz Klarowicz I Shutterstock
 

There are no plans for Emirates' widebody-only status to change anytime soon - the airline currently has outstanding orders for 50 Airbus A350-900s, 16 Boeing 777-8s, 99 777-9s, and 30 787-9s.

Thai Airways

The Thai flag carrier operates an all-widebody fleet of 55 aircraft, including 14 Airbus A350-900s and 17 Boeing 777-300ERs. This figure does, however, include the airline's seven Boeing 747-400s, which are currently stored and unlikely to be returned to service anytime soon, despite the airline recently announcing a return to profit..

Thai Airways Boeing 777
Photo: fivetonine | Shutterstock

By the end of 2023, Thai Airways is likely to be removed from this list of widebody-only carriers, as the airline currently has 10 Airbus A321neos on order, which it expects to begin receiving in 2025.

Virgin Atlantic

The UK's Virgin Atlantic also has a widebody-only fleet, operating a mix of Airbus and Boeing aircraft, including 10 A330-900s, 10 A350-1000s, and 17 787-9s. The airline's fleet has an average age of just 5.7 years old, and is based at London Heathrow (LHR) and Manchester (MAN), with a small seasonal operation also connecting Edinburgh (EDI) to Orlando (MCO).

Virgin Atlantic Airbus A350
Photo: InsectWorld | Shutterstock

Virgin Atlantic has a further four A350s on order, in addition to 12 A330-900s. Until 2020, the airline also operated the Boeing 747-400 and Airbus A340-600, but both sub-fleets were retired early as a result of the pandemic.

French bee

French bee is a low-cost, long-haul airline, based at Paris Orly (ORY). The carrier's small fleet of eight aircraft is made up exclusively of widebody aircraft - six Airbus A350-900s and two A350-1000s. The larger A350-1000 has a maximum capacity of 480 passengers in a tightly-packed two-class configuration - 40 in business class and 440 in economy class.

AirAsia X

AirAsia X operates a fleet of 15 Airbus A330-300s, with an average age of 12.1 years old. From its base at Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KUL), the low-cost carrier has previously also operated the A340-300, to destinations as far away as London Gatwick (LGW).

AirAsia X Airbus A330-300
Photo: KITTIKUN YOKSAP | Shutterstock

AirAsia X's widebody fleet will soon double in size when it starts to take delivery of its 15 A330-900s currently on order. The airline will also soon be taking on 20 A321XLRs, representing its first foray into narrowbody operations. AirAsia X will, however, be able to learn from its sister airline, AirAsia, which operates a fleet of almost 100 A320 family aircraft.

Air Belgium

From its base at Brussels Airport (BRU), Air Belgium operates scheduled flights to a limited number of destinations, including Cape Town (CPT) and Mauritius (MRU). Air Belgium's passenger fleet is made up of two Airbus A330-200s and two A330-900s.

Air Belgium has extensive experience in wet leasing operations too, and this summer, one of the carrier's Airbus A330-200s will fly for Royal Air Maroc on its daily rotation from Casablanca (CMN) to Paris (CDG). Air Belgium is also currently operating a daily return service from London Heathrow to Chicago (ORD) on behalf of British Airways, through November 2023.

Air Tahiti Nui

Based at Faa'a International Airport (PPT) in French Polynesia, Air Tahiti Nui operates flights to Paris (CDG), Auckland (AKL), Los Angeles (LAX), and Seattle (SEA), with services to Tokyo (NRT) due to resume in October.

Air Tahiti Nui Boeing 787-9
Photo: Joe Kunzler | Simple Flying

The airline's fleet is currently made up of just four Boeing 787s, which replaced its aging Airbus A340s when they were delivered in 2018 and 2019.

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Until recently, Singapore Airlines and Cathay Pacific would have also been included in this list of widebody-only carriers. However, both airlines now operate narrowbody aircraft too, with Singapore Airlines opting for the Boeing 737-800 and 737 MAX 8, and Cathay Pacific choosing the Airbus A321 and A321neo for their short-haul operations.

Which is your favorite long-haul airline to fly on? Do you know of any other widebody-only airlines? Let us know by commenting below.

Source: ch-aviation.com