The Year Ahead 2023
Airlines Resurrect Ancient Jumbo Jets to Meet First- and Business-Class Demand
The fuel-inefficient 747 and A380 are being resurrected, thanks to their large numbers of premium seats.
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As global air travel comes roaring back from its pandemic-induced slump, airlines are racing to provide enough capacity, particularly for premium tickets on the long-haul flights enjoying a stronger-than-expected rebound.
The surge has created a surprise bottleneck for some carriers, which are finding that many of their new-generation aircraft outfitted with enough business and first-class berths are either late for delivery or still awaiting regulatory approval. So carriers have been forced to revive a venerable plane model that looked consigned to the scrap heap even before the Covid‑19 outbreak: the four-engine dinosaur.