Originally Posted by
Mk 1
Not quite the only game in town - as a new build you are correct - but there is also the An124 with a payload over 100 tonnes and the sole An225 with double that.
Did Airbus miss a trick by not having the A380 cockpit up top and therebye forsaking the possiblility of having a freighter version with an opening nose. They can't really have been taking in the 747's longer framelife and increased resale value as a cargo carrier, and the extended livespans of the high payload older russian cargo planes with this feature. Maybe they got hung up in the topbulging wingcarrying Guppy/Beluga and forgot the advantage of loading most cargo direct from the ground.