Dubai International Handled 30% of the World's A380 Flights Over 30 Days

The figures show how concentrated the superjumbo's remaining operations have become, years after Airbus ended production of the type. London Heathrow ranked second with 1,162 movements, followed by Singapore Changi with 906 and Sydney with 630. Dubai's total exceeded those three airports combined, which came to 2,698, by 1,587 movements.

On a daily basis, Dubai handled about 143 A380 movements, against roughly 39 at Heathrow, 30 at Changi and 21 at Sydney, according to the data. That puts the aircraft's operating intensity in Dubai at more than three times Heathrow's and close to five times Singapore's.

The gap reflects Emirates' fleet. The Dubai carrier operates 116 A380s, according to CH-Aviation data cited in the report, against 12 each at British Airways and Singapore Airlines, 10 at Qantas and nine at Etihad. Emirates accounts for about 73% of the 159 aircraft held by those five airlines.

For Emirates, the A380 remains central to a hub model that funnels long-haul passengers between Europe, Asia, Africa, the Americas and Australia through a single airport, using the aircraft's capacity on high-demand routes. That dependence has shaped the airline's fleet decisions as it waits for delayed Boeing 777X deliveries.

Emirates is still adding to its superjumbo fleet. Qatar's Lesha Bank said this week it had sold six A380s to the airline, two of which have already changed hands, with the remaining four to transfer as their leases expire through April 2028.