Airbus confirms A380 production to end in ‘painful’ announcement

Airbus has confirmed it will cease making A380s after Emirates slashed its orders for the super jumbos by 39 aircraft.

An Airbus A380 landing during the 48th international Paris Air Show. Picture: AFP

Airbus will stop making A380s after Emirates slashed its order book for the super jumbos by 39 aircraft.

After weeks of speculation Airbus has confirmed its biggest A380 customer has switched its outstanding orders to A330 and A350-900 aircraft.

It means Emirates will take delivery of another 14 A380s over the next two years, taking its fleet of the double-decker planes to 123, with Airbus to then cease production.

Emirates’ original order had run to 162 A380s.

A statement from Airbus said as a result of the Emirates’ decision and with no substantial A380 backlog, there was “no basis to sustain production despite all our sales efforts with other airlines in recent years”.

“This leads to the end of A380 deliveries in 2021,” Airbus chief executive officer Tom Enders said, adding that up to 3500 jobs would be affected.

“The A380 is not only an outstanding engineering and industrial achievement. Passengers all over the world love to fly on this great aircraft. Hence today’s announcement is painful for us and A380 communities worldwide.”

Mr Enders said A380s would still roam the skies for many years to come.

“Airbus will of course continue to fully support the A380 operators,” he said.

The main issues with the A380 were its sheer size, with airlines struggling to fill the cavernous, two-level aircraft on all but the most popular international routes.

With an 80-metre wingspan and 24m tail height, the aeroplanes also presented logistical challenges for airlines and airports.

As Emirates’ flagship aircraft, Airbus Commercial Aircraft president Guillaume Faury said the A380 had contributed to the airlines’ success for more than ten years.

“As much as we regret the airline’s position, selecting the A330neo and A350 for its future growth is a great endorsement of our very competitive widebody aircraft family,” Mr Faury said.

“Going forward, we are fully committed to deliver on the longstanding confidence Emirates is placing in Airbus.”

Emirates’ chairman and chief executive Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, said the company was disappointed to have given up its A380 order, having been a “staunch supporter since its “For us, the A380 is a wonderful aircraft loved by our customers and crew,” he said.

“It is a differentiator for Emirates, and the A380 will remain a pillar of our fleet well into the 2030s.”

The new order lodged by Emirates was worth about $21 billion and would help save some of the jobs affected by the end of A380 production.

Sheikh Ahmed said the Emirates strategy to operate a young, modern and efficient all-wide body fleet remained unchanged.

“Both the A330neos and A350s will play an important role in our future,” he said.

Qantas confirmed last week it had officially cancelled its order for eight A380s, but said it was committed to refurbishing its existing fleet of 12 A380s with a view to continuing to operate the huge aeroplanes for many years to come.

Virtual reality technology was being used to develop new cabin interiors for the aircraft, which typically fly between Australia’s east coast and the US, and to London via Singapore.