1970s Spotter

Does anybody have any details as to which flights BA's A380s will operate BEFORE entering long-haul service?
I gather the first a/c is being delivered after the Paris Air Show in July and will enter servce on the LHR-Frankfurt route in early August. Have flight numbers been allocated or will the allocation be random?

cornishsimon

Thought they had decided against this?

cs

hampshireandy

try posting this on the BA thread, you may get more responses.

canberra97

Nothing has yet been confirmed regarding BA A380 flights prior to entering long haul service although on other aviation site forums Frankfurt has been mentioned most probably the BA 902/903.

I am following this story every day waiting for BA to announce something as I have promised to take my father on one of them if they do happen.

If anything is announced I shall post it on here as there is hardly anything ever posted on the BA forum.

no sponsor

At a briefing the other day, it was stated that Hanover or Hamburg. Sorry I can't remember which city, but it was in Germany, and began with an H!

Narrow Runway

Heidelburg, I reckon...........

racedo

Hahn .......................oops no thats Frankfurt

canberra97

'No Sponser'

BA only serve two destinations in Germany beginning with H, Hamburg and Hannover so I guess your assuming either?

I for one do not expect BA to be flying the A380 to either of those destinations.

At your 'briefing' are you not getting a bit mixed up with where the BA 380s are now as in the the Airbus Facility at Hamburg-Finkenwerder XFW.

no sponsor

I'm pretty sure the manager said Hanover, but I could be wrong. I know we fly to Hamburg too. These are training flights for the crews to gain some line experience. The sectors are long enough for there to be training value for line training. As already said, they are replacing regular A32X services, so limited sales tickets, just in case there is a hiccup, and they don't have to send 3 A32X's to pick up stranded passengers in case there is a technical problem, or some other issue to prevent the 380 operating.

There will be a few other destinations. At first, base training will be at UK airfields. As I said, I'm pretty sure it was Hanover, but if I'm wrong, it was definitely in Germany with an H!

onyxcrowle

Dsa has a long runway if you want to bring it up here

mathers_wales_uk

They can bring it over to Cardiff if they want to as well especially to test the facilities for a longhaul alternate. :-)

adfly

Yeah and how about SOU to test the short field performance...

Wycombe

I've read elsewhere that base trainng will be at Manston.

Heathrow Harry

'twas in "Flight" a couple of weeks back

FR-

Madrid

fr-

no sponsor

Madrid is too politically sensitive for IAG.

Off Stand

It'll be FRA, not MAD.

nigel osborne

Mathers Wales,

Not sure Cardiff is CAA A380 approved yet ?

LGW,MAN, and BHX are .

Nigel

BAladdy

How about PIK, BA have recently opened a maintainance base there. At the moment it is used along with the maintainance facility at GLA for A320 family and 737 engineering work.

Wonder if PIK is were the A380's will end up being maintained.

BA902/BA903 rotation looking more likely.

BA have just retimed the BA902 and BA903 starting the 31 July. However flights still showing as 767 operated. The retiming of the flights will see the turnaround time in FRA extended from 1hr 10 to 1hr 40. Which is plenty of time to turn around the A380.

Until 30th July

BA902 LHR 07:00 FRA 09:45 767 D
BA903 FRA 10:55 LHR 11:40 767 D

From 31st July

BA902 LHR 06:45 FRA 09:30 767 D
BA903 FRA 11:10 LHR 11:50 767 D

VentureGo

British Airways A380 MSN95 reg. F-WWWSK is currently on flight tests over Germany as AIB95E - Just heading over Osnabruck toward Hamburg at 42,100ft and 580mph (Flightradar24.com)