The A380, which can comfortably seat about 544 passengers in three classes, is instantly recognizable but financially unviable in many markets, because in general passengers prefer more frequent flights, which means smaller aircraft on each flight. Pandemic speculation about the aircraft’s future has been inconsistent. Airbus announced in 2019 that it would end production. Emirates, by far the biggest customer, took about 123 aircraft.
(Image courtesy of Groupe Duval and Frédéric Deleuze)Īirbus, which operates a plant in Toulouse, delivered its final A380 in December, after delivering 254 jets to airlines during 14 years of production. Related: The best ways to redeem miles to fly on an A380Ī 60-seat restaurant, attached to the aircraft, will be “integrated into a building using the metaphor of a control tower,” according to a press release, which described the hotel as “a place dedicated both to the curious, to enthusiasts, but also to tourists and professionals looking for marked originality and comfort.” The restaurant will offer “high-quality bistro cuisine,” and will seek to use local products, reduce waste and be staffed with well-treated employees, the press release said. The standard rate for two people will range from around $125 to around $175. The suites are expected to cost around $350 a night. The hotel will have 31 rooms including two suites, one in the cockpit and one in the aircraft’s upper level, accessible via the aircraft stairs. The planned site for the Envergure Hotel is north of the Toulouse-Blagnac airport (TLS), near the MEETT exhibition and convention center, which opened in 2020.ĭeleuze declined to say what he paid for the aircraft. “We hope to finalize the feasibility study (technical and economic) by the end of March,” Deleuze said. Also, I always had in mind to create my own business.”Īsked whether he is targeting airplane geeks as patrons, Deleuze said, “I target both customer types, passionate or curious people, but also business (travelers) considering the location, in a great economic area, and the comfort proposed by the hotel. (Image courtesy of Groupe Duval and Frédéric Deleuze)ĭeleuze wants “to avoid scrapping such a structure that could be reused (and) to make a tribute to this wonderful aircraft, (which is) nearly a religion for all Airbus employees,” he told The Points Guy in an email.Īdditionally, he said, “I love challenges and discovering new things continuously. The hotel is expected open in early 2024.įor more TPG news delivered each morning to your inbox, sign up for our daily newsletter. He plans to turn a retired A380 aircraft into a hotel in France, not far from the Toulouse airport (TLS). Others would prefer to say “bonjour.”įrédéric Deleuze, a former Airbus engineer, is in the latter group. Some people are saying “au revoir” to the Airbus A380, the world’s largest airplane.