Production of the World's Largest Passenger Aircraft to Be Halted

Airbus announced that it will cease production of the A380 superjumbo, the world's largest passenger aircraft. In a statement, Airbus indicated that the last A380 will be delivered to customers in 2021, after which the production line for this giant aircraft will stop. Emirates Airlines, the largest buyer of the A380, has also decided to reduce the number of aircraft it ordered and will instead order a total of 70 smaller A350 and A330neo models. Airbus added that it will soon begin discussions with labor unions regarding the 3,000 to 3,500 jobs that will be affected by the halt in A380 production. In total, Airbus will produce 17 more A380s, with 14 going to Emirates and 3 to ANA, a Japanese airline. In 2018, Airbus managed to deliver 800 aircraft to its customers and received orders for another 747 aircraft during that period. Despite lagging behind Boeing, the company has achieved an 11% growth compared to 2017. However, in 2018, Airbus delivered only 12 A380s to customers, which was noted as a concerning statistic at the time. The A380 features four engines and two decks, with a standard model accommodating up to 525 seats in three classes. In models that only have economy class, the capacity can increase to 853 passengers.