Breaker's yard beckons for Airbus A380 If new homes aren't found

Airbus' A380 superjumbo faces the ignominy of being broken up for spare parts if second-hand operators for the oldest jets can’t be found in coming months. The double-deckers could be “parted out” to recover engines and other spares worth at least US$100 m per plane, according to German fund manager Dr Peters, which owns 4 A380s due to be returned between October and June by SIA following the expiry of 10-year lease deals. At the same time, talks are continuing with 6 potential operators of the jets, including an Asian low-cost airline that would fly them in a 700-seat single-class layout, CE Anselm Gehling said. Prospective users also include carriers in the US, which has so far eschewed the model, and Europe, where IAG is continuing to evaluate deploying used A380s at airlines within the group. <br/>