British Airways to fly Airbus A380 for Vancouver service

The biggest bird in the skies will be flying to and from Vancouver International Airport everyday beginning next spring.

British Airways will use an Airbus A380 superjumbo jet for its popular London to Vancouver service, according to a report by Airline Route.

Currently, the airline regularly flies to Vancouver using a Boeing 747-400 aircraft, but this will be switched to the A380 beginning on May 1, 2016. This will be YVR’s first scheduled A380 service.

The superjumbo jet will depart London Heathrow daily at 5:15 p.m. and arrive at YVR at 6:40 p.m. For return flights, the jet will leave YVR at 8:50 p.m. and arrive at Heathrow at 2:00 p.m. the next day.

However, the change to using the industry’s most prized commercial aircraft will come with some cutbacks in scheduled service. British Airways will axe its seasonal service of five flights a week on the Boeing 777-200ER, given that the capacity for the extra London-Vancouver service will be transplanted onto the larger A380.

The airline is currently in possession of nine A380 aircraft, each holding up to 469 passengers – about 170 passengers more than one of the airline’s Boeing 747-400 seating configurations.

YVR’s terminal facilities are fully capable of accommodating the wide-body aircraft. Gates 64 and 65 in the International Terminal’s Concourse D can handle the A380, which has a wingspan of 80 metres (260 feet).

• UPDATE: According to an official press release by Vancouver International Airport, British Airways will only be using the Airbus A380 during the summer months.

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