The launch of the open beta of the Airbus A380 by FlyByWire for Microsoft Flight Simulator has certainly prompted the community to try out the aircraft en masse, but just how popular is it?
Simulation Daily can exclusively reveal data from Orbx’s popular flight tracking app Volanta, on which the freeware airliner has shattered previous activity records.
Numbers kept growing following the launch on November 31, and on Saturday, November 2, 2024, at 15:30 UTC, the service peaked at 4,790 concurrent active flights, shattering the previous record set before the A380 era, which was 4,023 active flights on June 30, 2024.
If you’re wondering, the previous record was set in the first weekends following the release of the Boeing 777 by PMDG, another extremely popular long-haul aircraft.
This means that the A380 caused approximately a 19% increase in peak active flight compared to the previous record. Roughly half of these active flights were Airbus A380s.
We also have more interesting data gathered during the event to mark the release of FlyByWire’s latest labor of love, which started on October 31 at 06:00 UTC and ended on November 4 at 06:00 UTC.
The total number of Airbus A380 flights during that period (not counting other aircraft) was 23,876. These amounted to 82,076 hours and 36,206,096 nautical miles flown cumulatively, with an estimated fuel burn of 1104841.55 metric tons (thank Goodness this is virtual).
This means that virtual A380 pilots flew around the equator 1,676 times cumulatively, or 174 times to the Moon.
Volanta data also provides a ranking of the most popular airports, including origins and destinations. These certainly include some well-known A380 hangouts. You can check them out below ranked by number of flights.
Origin:
- Dubai (OMDB) 3447
- London Heathrow (EGLL) 1548
- Toulouse–Blagnac (LFBO) 1472
- Munich (EDDM) 1361
- Frankfurt (EDDF) 1029
- Sydney (YSSY) 739
- Singapore Changi (WSSS) 664
- Tokyo Narita (RJAA) 569
- Los Angeles (KLAX) 512
- Incheon (RKSI) 448
Destination:
- Dubai (OMDB) 2755
- London Heathrow (EGLL) 1682
- Munich (EDDM) 1273
- Frankfurt (EDDF) 1060
- Sydney (YSSY) 677
- Los Angeles (KLAX) 629
- Singapore Changi (WSSS) 596
- New York JFK (KJFK) 483
- Tokyo Narita (RJAA) 451
- Paris Charles de Gaulle (LFPG) 389
Of course, many opted to do a “delivery flight” from the historical assembly plant in Toulouse.
Interestingly, these impressive numbers were recorded only a couple of weeks before the release of Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024, certainly showing that fans haven’t shelved the 2020 version just yet.
If you’re unfamiliar with Volanta, it’s a flight-tracking application that you can download for free. If you want to unlock more features, you can also opt into a premium subscription payable monthly or yearly.
It’s platform-agnostic, so it’s compatible with major simulators including Microsoft Flight Simulator, X-Plane, and Prepar3D, on top of Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 (even if it’s not publicly out yet). It’s available on PC, iOS, and Android.
Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020 is currently available for PC and Xbox Series X|S.
Speaking of Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 (which is coming on November 18), you can enjoy our hands-on preview with plenty of interesting details for your perusal.
You can also watch our interview with Head of MSFS Jorg Neumann and Asobo CEO Sebastian Wloch, another with Asobo CCO David Dedeine, and one featuring Chris Burnett of Working Title and Brandon Yaeger of Got Friends about their work on MSFS 2024.
Last, but not least, you can take a look at our A-10 flight through the Grand Canyon, our first look at the extensive pilot customization, another at the first mission of the Career Mode, a video featuring the new walk-around move showing off a Boeing 737 MAX up close and personal, and a challenge with the A-10 over the Blue Ridge Mountains.
