Could Not Find Carriers Willing To Lease The Huge Aircraft

With airlines continuing to focus on more fuel-efficient airplanes, and airplane and engine manufacturers obliging by making airplanes the can fly further on fewer engines and less fuel, the A380 has become something of a hard sell. Demand has been steadily decreasing for the four-engine double-deck super jumbo jet, which has become a challenge for Irish aircraft leasing company Amedeo, which has 12 A380s in its fleet and 20 on order from Airbus.

The company has faced difficulty renewing leases with carriers or finding new customers. But rather than throw in the towel, it has come up with a new business plan; start up an airline flying exclusively A380 airliners.

The Financial Times reports that Amedeo CEO Mark Lapidus plans to offer seats to existing carriers and to non-traditional aviation interests like Airbnb. Tickets would be sold by outside entities, but Amedeo would provide cabin crew to tailor an in-flight experience to the customers.

Lapidus said that codesharing joint ventures among airlines have helped passengers get comfortable with the idea of buying a ticket from one airline but getting on a plane operated by a different carrier.

The A380 needs a "disruptive" airline to stay viable, Lapidus said in an interview back in January. He said that a company like Norwegian might be a good customer for the airplane, as it can be configured to carry as many as 868 people. He said when there are 600-700 passengers on a plane, it is among the most economical aircraft available today.

Norwegian is among the possible partners for Amedeo, along with WOW Air, Level and Airasia X, according to the U.K. newspaper The Telegraph. Customers like Airbnb are also reportedly looking at easy ways to enter the aviation market.

Lapidus reportedly plans to apply for an air carrier certificate early next year. Analysts, however, are skeptical that the business model is viable. Rob Morris, a consultant with Flightglobal, told The Financial Times that airlines are very protective of their brands, and they will likely be reluctant to contract out anything that is customer-facing because the contractor might not deliver." He said that the Amedeo plan "smacks a little of desperation."

(Image from Amedeo website)

FMI: Original Report, Original Report, www.amedeo.aero