TOULOUSE, Feb 14: European aviation giant Airbus on Thursday said it will stop making its superjumbo A380 in 2021 after struggling to sell the world’s biggest passenger jet.
The decision came after Emirates, the largest customer of the A380, reduced its order.
Airbus in a statement said that Emirates would reduce its A380 orderbook from 162 to 123 aircraft, reported BBC.
“As a result of this decision we have no substantial A380 backlog and hence 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,” said Airbus chief executive Tom Enders.
The decision is a boon for rival Boeing and a blow for Airbus. Earlier, Airbus had hoped the A380 would squeeze out Boeing’s 747 and revolutionize air travel as more people take to the skies.
Instead in recent times, airlines have been cautious about committing to the costly plane, so huge that airports had to build new runways and modify terminals to accommodate it.
The double-decker planes started flying in 2008 and seat more than 500 passengers.
(UNI)
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