Slimming down: Airbus to cease production of A380 superjumbo

  • Air
  •   02-14-2019  11:06 am
Slimming down: Airbus to cease production of A380 superjumbo

Airbus will end production of its A380 superjumbo aircraft, delivering the last of the planes in 2021 as airlines move toward the use of smaller and more efficient aircraft.

The BBC reported that the announcement comes following a decision by Emirates, the biggest customer of the world’s largest passenger aircraft, to cut its order. The airline, which will move to cut its A380 fleet from 162 to 123, will take delivery of 14 further A380s over the next two years, but has also ordered 70 of Airbus' smaller A330 and A350 models.

The plane launched in 2007 and was first flown commercially with Singapore Airlines. While popular with passengers, airlines have shifted toward the use of smaller wide-body jets, such as Boeing’s 787 Dreamliner. Plans for a revamped and more efficient A380 were scrapped by Airbus after it failed to secure a sufficient number of launch orders.


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