Airbus A380

The A380 has never had a fatal accident. Since Singapore Airlines first flew passengers on it in October 2007, no one on board has died in an A380 accident and no aircraft has been lost. That is a clean record, but a short one: about 1.8 million passenger flights, fewer than any other big jet. Our score leans on the record of similar fly-by-wireFly-by-wireA flight control system in which the pilot's inputs go to computers, which then move the control surfaces. Many such systems also stop unsafe manoeuvres.More in the glossary jets because one type with fewer than 2 million flights cannot show much on its own (see our methodology).

What the A380 is and where you fly on it

The A380 is the largest passenger aircraft ever built, with two full decks. It first flew in 2005 and only one version, the A380-800, entered service. Airlines usually fit 480 to 520 seats, though some layouts go over 600. Airbus built 251 and ended production in 2021 because airlines preferred large twin-engine jets. About 180 are still flying.

You will most likely fly on one with Emirates, which owns about half of all A380s and uses them across its network from Dubai. Singapore Airlines, Qantas, British Airways, Lufthansa, Qatar Airways and Korean Air also fly it on busy long-haul routes.

Design features that matter for safety

The A380 has Airbus fly-by-wireFly-by-wireA flight control system in which the pilot's inputs go to computers, which then move the control surfaces. Many such systems also stop unsafe manoeuvres.More in the glossary with envelope protection, like the A320 and A330, and four engines: either the Rolls-Royce Trent 900 or the Engine Alliance GP7200. Four engines give more margin after an engine failure, and the A380 has twice needed it.

Qantas 32, 4 November 2010. Shortly after take-off from Singapore, the No. 2 engine, a Trent 900, burst. Debris cut through the wing and damaged fuel, hydraulic and electrical systems. The crew spent almost two hours working through alerts before landing back at Singapore. All 469 people on board survived. Investigators found a misaligned oil feed pipe made at a Rolls-Royce plant; Rolls-Royce changed its inspections and replaced suspect parts across the fleet.

Air France 66, 30 September 2017. Over Greenland, the titanium fan hub of a GP7200 engine broke apart and the engine inlet fell off. The crew diverted to Goose Bay in Canada and landed safely. French investigators traced the failure to a crack that began below the surface of the hub, and engine fan hubs were then inspected with new methods.

Airbus also found small cracks in wing rib feet in early A380s in 2012. Regulators ordered inspections and Airbus changed the wing design and repaired the aircraft already built. No accident resulted.

The record so far

No fatal event on an A380 is in our data up to 7 October 2026. The other A380 entries in the ASN database are non-fatal: turbulence that injured crew and passengers, ground collisions at Paris and New York, and a nose-gear collapse during maintenance at Dubai. Turbulence is the realistic risk on any long-haul flight, so keep your seatbelt loosely fastened when you are seated.

How to tell if you are on one

Booking sites and flight apps such as Flightradar24 show the ICAO type code A388. It is hard to miss at the gate: two full decks of windows and four engines. Some airports board the upper deck through a separate jet bridge.

The A380 is a safe choice, and many travellers prefer its quiet, roomy cabin. If you have a choice of flights, picking it for safety reasons makes little difference; the airline and route matter more.