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Feb 14, 2019

Airbus may kill production of A380 superjumbo jet

Once touted as an aircraft for the future, the Airbus A380 was supposed to offer international carriers with an appealing, if massive, option for long-haul flights. Now the A380 appears to be on life support. Emirates airlines has scaled back purchases of the aircraft, and Airbus is expected to fully shut down production soon. Airlines are […]

by Jack Stewart
President and CEO of Japanese airline All Nippon Airways (ANA) Holdings, Shinya Katanozaka (C) and President of Airbus Japan Stephane Ginoux (R) wave during a ceremony for the delivery of the company's first Airbus A380, on March 20, 2019 at the Airbus delivery center in Colomiers, southwestern France.
President and CEO of Japanese airline All Nippon Airways (ANA) Holdings, Shinya Katanozaka (C) and President of Airbus Japan Stephane Ginoux (R) wave during a ceremony for the delivery of the company's first Airbus A380, on March 20, 2019 at the Airbus delivery center in Colomiers, southwestern France.
PASCAL PAVANI/AFP/Getty Images

Once touted as an aircraft for the future, the Airbus A380 was supposed to offer international carriers with an appealing, if massive, option for long-haul flights. Now the A380 appears to be on life support. Emirates airlines has scaled back purchases of the aircraft, and Airbus is expected to fully shut down production soon. Airlines are turning to smaller, more fuel-efficient planes to meet the needs of customers and airports. Reduced demand for the Airbus A380 might seem like a positive for Boeing, but plane manufacturers have few guarantees in the air travel industry. 

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