The world’s largest international airline has revealed that it is already preparing to phase out its iconic A380 superjumbo aircraft.

Emirates’ fleet of double-decker planes will be very gradually phased out over the next decade, with plans to keep the aircraft in operation until 2040. So, there’s still loads of time to catch a flight on board the A380 if you haven’t already.

Speaking to The National at this year’s Arabian Travel Market in Dubai, the airline’s deputy chairman and chief operations officer Adel Al Redha said that, over time, the aircraft will become very difficult and expensive to maintain.

He explained that the phasing out of the Airbus A380 was taken into account as it plans to introduce the Boeing 777X into its network.

While smaller than the A380, the Boeing 777X is also a wide-body aircraft capable of transporting high numbers of passengers. The airline has more than 300 Boeing aircraft on order.

The Boeing will not be able to fully take over the capacity of the A380, however, which Al Redha concedes is a “shame”, adding that he’s “sad not to have this aircraft operate with us forever.”

Emirates has recently invested billions of dirhams in a wide-scale retrofit programme of its existing aircraft, including the A380, which will feature the airline’s latest products and upgrades.

The airline has been updating its Boeing 777 and Airbus A380 aircraft across its network for the past few years to make flights even more comfortable than they already were for passengers.

The retrofit programme has provided refreshed interiors and upgraded cabins across all classes on the Airbus A380.

One of the latest additions include its superfast, high-speed free Starlink Wi-Fi across all cabin classes while plans are in place to add its ultra-comfy U-Dream headrest to economy class and a new electrically powered Premium Economy seat with a privacy screen.