“Airbus is nearing a decision to axe production of the world's largest airliner and may give an update with full-year earnings tomorrow, aviation analysts have said.

The fate of the A380 superjumbo has been in doubt since a vital order from Emirates foundered over inconclusive engine talks, forcing Airbus and the airline to weigh an alternative plan that would trigger a premature halt to A380 production.

Under the proposed reshuffle, first reported by Reuters, Airbus hopes to broker a deal that would see Emirates switch part of its order to smaller models like the A350 or A330, while eking out a few last-minute A380 orders from British Airways.
…
The A380 is already on life support due to weak sales…”

https://mol.im/a/6696529

Doh!

I recall the hoopla that surrounded its arrival at LAX. Impressive for sure but a colossal misstep in predicting the future of air travel. How many built? How many euros invested? Yikes

quote:

Originally posted by Pipe Smoker:
“Airbus is nearing a decision to axe production of the world's largest airliner and may give an update with full-year earnings tomorrow, aviation analysts have said.

The fate of the A380 superjumbo has been in doubt since a vital order from Emirates foundered over inconclusive engine talks, forcing Airbus and the airline to weigh an alternative plan that would trigger a premature halt to A380 production.

Under the proposed reshuffle, first reported by Reuters, Airbus hopes to broker a deal that would see Emirates switch part of its order to smaller models like the A350 or A330, while eking out a few last-minute A380 orders from British Airways.
…
The A380 is already on life support due to weak sales…”

https://mol.im/a/6696529

Airbus has a large presence in Mobile, Alabama where, in addition to the final assembly line for the A320, they install interiors for several, including the A380. A new assembly line for the A220 is starting up in Mobile.

Activities cover the specification, design and installation of cabins, cabin equipment and modules, seats, cargo systems and cabin for the A350 XWB, the 525-seat A380 and the market leading A330-200/300 passenger aircraft.

What a colossal failure. Boeing bet correctly when they stuck with the 777 and 787. Airbus is heavily subsidized with government money and because of that they can make colossal mistakes and stay in business.

Having flown on a A380 a couple of times, it's certainly roomy but, there A LOT of people on board and it gets a bit stuffy after 8+ hours of flying.

Given the performance upgrades, dependability and longer legs of the 737-MAX, and A320neo family, such big jets are going away and only good for Spring Break holidays and the haj in Saudi

When government bureaucrats make the business decisions the results are predictable.

So, it turns out Boeing knew what they were talking about after all.

I can now honestly say, “If it ain’t Boeing, I ain’t going.”

In all seriousness, I marvel at the 380 every time I see it takeoff, land, or taxi in front of us. But I can also say that, IMHO, it’s the UGLIEST “super” ever built and that NOTHING will ever be sexier than the B747 (in terms of “modern day” air travel).

We get a couple a day into IAH. With no reference it just looks like a big plane, taxiing next to a 737 it's a huge plane.

Agreed with erj, though, definitely an ugly guppy. Doesn't hold a candle to the elegance of the Queen.

234 delivered so far out of 313 orders.

While not directly competitors, Boeing passed on a real superjumbo, and decided to build the 787 instead. So far that has 789 deliveries out of 1,421 total orders. And in this case, more orders are likely.

quote:

Originally posted by Russ59:
Doh!

I recall the hoopla that surrounded its arrival at LAX. Impressive for sure but a colossal misstep in predicting the future of air travel. How many built? How many euros invested? Yikes

Somewhere on YouTube is a great explanation of airline strategies of “long skinny” routes vs thick routes with hubs.
The “long skinny” strategy has won out with Boeing, if I recall this correctly.
I’ve flown in a 787 and it was an extremely long but surprisingly comfortable flight even in economy, with a little girl from Ethiopia beside me who had just been adopted. We got along great.

I was able to board one at At the Oshkosh airshow some years back. The subsequent aerial demonstration it performed was nothing short of impressive.

quote:

Originally posted by P250UA5:
<snip>
Agreed with erj, though, definitely an ugly guppy. Doesn't hold a candle to the elegance of the Queen.

The Queen being the Lockheed Super G Constellation in TWA livery? Prettiest airliner ever.

quote:

airline strategies of “long skinny” routes vs thick routes with hubs.
The “long skinny” strategy has won out with

Yes, in that same documentary they talk about the different strategies for the 747-800 and A380 also. Boeing committed to a Freighter version and pursued this while also pursuing the passenger -800. Airbus opted to not pursue a freighter - and this means the end of the road for the 380.

Glad to see Boeing win the long bet - been an even bigger fan since I worked with them on part of the 787 project - and got a chance to tour the early 787 mockup on the "factory" floor and talk to the engineers and chief architect.

quote:

Originally posted by Pipe Smoker:

quote:

Originally posted by P250UA5:
<snip>
Agreed with erj, though, definitely an ugly guppy. Doesn't hold a candle to the elegance of the Queen.

The Queen being the Lockheed Super G Constellation in TWA livery? Prettiest airliner ever.

I was implying the 747, but the Connie is a good looking bird too

One of miscalculations regarding the A380 was the need for airports to upgrade their facilities. Most of runways that could handle a 747, could handle the 380, however, apron areas and most importantly gates needed to be altered or, designed with enough margin for the huge airplane. All of this limited the number of destinations for the 380 and/or forced airports to spend more to accommodate. I think out here on the West Coast the only airports that can handle one is SFO, LAX, & ONT.

I saw a good video of the 380 landing at LAX and while it did everything a big bird is tasked with, watching the fly by knob was just weird. Like tuning in a radio station.

quote:

Originally posted by Pipe Smoker:
The Queen being the Lockheed Super G Constellation in TWA livery? Prettiest airliner ever.

If someone put a "Connie" and a 747 on the ramp and told me I could fly just one, it would be an extremely difficult choice. I'd probably have to go with "Connie" because I already have one Boeing type-rating.

[/drift]

quote:

The fate of the A380 superjumbo has been in doubt since a vital order from Emirates foundered over inconclusive engine talks, forcing Airbus and the airline to weigh an alternative plan that would trigger a premature halt to A380 production.

What would that alternate plan be? Buy 787s from Boeing, slap Airbus labels on them and resell them?

Emirates is going to the A330 Neo and A 350 instead, the latter being Airbus' equivalent to the 787.

quote:

Originally posted by corsair:
One of miscalculations regarding the A380 was the need for airports to upgrade their facilities. Most of runways that could handle a 747, could handle the 380, however, apron areas and most importantly gates needed to be altered or, designed with enough margin for the huge airplane. All of this limited the number of destinations for the 380 and/or forced airports to spend more to accommodate. I think out here on the West Coast the only airports that can handle one is SFO, LAX, & ONT.

Well, the 747 faced the same facility problems when introduced, so Airbus probably thought they would take that bet. One airline source I saw said the real problem of the A380 was that the wing was designed with a stretched variant in mind that was ultimately never built, so there was unnecessary weight and, as a result, fuel consumption. Emirates had long demanded a more fuel-efficient Neo version, but Airbus probably thought it not worth the cost at that point.

After all, even the 747-8 is only selling as a freighter anymore, so it might be that the time of jumbo passenger aircraft is just over. Which would indeed vindicate Boeing's earlier strategic decision for the 787 route. Though I'll be curious to see whether some A380s will eventually be rebuilt as freighters, the location of the cockpit would preclude easy adaption of a full-deck-size nose gate for which the 747 was designed from the start. A major conversion á la Guppy would be needed (there were early plans for an A380F with conventional side loading gates, but they were never followed through with).

This message has been edited. Last edited by: BansheeOne,