Airbus to stop production of the A380

Those who have made a transatlantic flight have probably done so with an A380. The Airbus superjumbo is the largest passenger airplane ever built and was designed for this exact purpose, i.e. long-haul routes with many passengers. It can carry 850 passengers, though many airlines have selected 500-600 seat configurations.

The investment for the research and development of the A380 reached 20 billion Euro, a huge amount even by airline industry standards. The decision to make such an investment entailed tremendous risk.

However, sales were disappointing, with less than 350 aircraft built, a very small number. The reason of the low sales of the aircraft is its size.  The A380 could be very economical for both passengers and airlines, if flying full. But in practice the airlines that were able to cover the aircraft’s occupancy requirements were very few. Thus most airlines never decided to invest in such an aircraft.

On the other hand, advancements in technology have rendered the A380 relatively obsolete. New, more economical and more modern aircraft, such as the Boeing 787, have replaced it. All this contributed to Airbus’ decision to stop its production in 2021.