Is it all over for the A380 superjumbo?

IT WAS the superstar of the skies, but Airbus has confessed that the golden days of the world’s biggest plane could soon be over. What went wrong?

IT WAS the superstar of the skies, but an Airbus executive has revealed the golden days of the A380 superjumbo could soon be over.

Chief Financial Officer Harald Wilhelm told investors at a meeting in London this week that the world’s biggest passenger plane could be discontinued as early as 2018 due to a slump in sales.

Mr Wilhelm admitted that the company has failed to find a single airline buyer for the jet this entire year. That’s despite orders for its other models booming, such as the A330 single-aisle plane, Bloomberg reports.

Airbus poured $30 billion into developing the double-decker jet, a move that it could regret.

In its seven years of operation, just 318 of the A380s have been sold, compared to the 1200 Airbus predicted that airlines would require.

There was great excitement about the A380 when it first took to the skies.

So why are airlines shunning the A380?

While passengers love the shiny, roomy plane, it has some serious drawbacks. It all comes down to cost: it’s not efficient on fuel and is simply too big for some airports to handle.

Airlines have been struggling to fill enough seats on the plane to make it profitable. Airbus spokesman Chris Buckley admitted that the company has been “at fault” in the way it marketed the aircraft, because it didn’t push the high-density seating option and left it up to airlines to decide how many seats would be fitted to the plane. So some put too few seats on board, reducing revenue.

Inside a Singapore International Airlines A380.

The soaring popularity of its rival, the Boeing Dreamliner 787, hasn’t helped matters either.

Qantas has made its loyalty to the Dreamliner very clear, stating on its website: “We have selected the Boeing 787 as the cornerstone of our domestic and international fleet renewal program.

“The Qantas Group has firm orders for 14 Boeing 787-8 aircraft and 50 option/purchase right orders for 787-9 aircraft. The first Qantas Dreamliner arrived in October 2013.”

A Qantas A380.

Meanwhile, Jetstar has seven Dreamliners, and no A380s. Virgin Australia also doesn’t have a single A380 in its fleet, preferring the Boeing 737 instead.

The Tiger fleet comprises entirely of the smaller Airbus A320s.

Worldwide, Emirates is the biggest customer of A380s, having ordered a total of 140 jets. It has made a success of the jets because it operates them to Dubai and onto major worldwide routes, so it has managed to fill seats.

Other Airbus executives downplayed the comments by Mr Wilhelm, saying the program was on track.

“The A380 will dominate the market in years to come,” Airbus sales chief John Leahy said at the same London meeting.

news.com.au has contacted Airbus for further comment.

It’s the biggest passenger plane in the world.