emirates-a380-iah_250708

Sat, 24 Jan 2026 05:52:55 -0600

This is an Emirates Airbus A-380 and I think it's the largest passenger aircraft ever built but it was discontinued not too many years after its intro as it was just too big and caused too many problems such as existing airport runways and taxiways not being able to handle the size and weight of the aircraft. Consequently, it was a financial dud for Airbus. But, for a long haul carrier like Emirates, it can generate a lot of revenue.

As you can see, they were just ahead of our tiny regional jet departing Houston. It's the first and only one I've ever seen in person but unfortunately, the camera had to shoot through the aircraft window glass.

No idea where that behemoth was headed but odds are it was a LONG way from Houston. The aircraft has two passenger decks and a third cargo deck and the standard Emirates configuration is 600 total seats while some carriers configure their A380's with up to 850+ seats! Hard to imagine the flight attendants getting that many people off the aircraft in the FAA-mandated 90 seconds for a ground evacuation. The big machine can also take on up to 320,000 liters of jet fuel which is about 85,000 gallons or 570,000 pounds!