Al Amn Magazine # 160

FEBRUARY 2023 32 he Airbus A380 is the world’s biggest passenger jet plane – and the plane many might imagine when thinking of splurging on a first-class seat, getting a free business class flight with their company or even relaxing more than in many other planes in economy – the double-decker plane offers more comfort and stability than its rivals. Sometimes this goes to the extreme. Private flat-bed suites, an up-in-the-air lounge and cocktail bar, personal mini- bar at each seat – Emirates even built shower spas on board of its fleet of the double-decker planes. “We’ve developed the most passenger preferred aircraft in the world,” Airbus head of business analysis and market forecast Bob Lange says. So why has Airbus decided to kill it? The main reason the company will halt production of A380 after 12 years, from 2021, is the low number of planes sold. “In the end, you have to face facts, and we could see that we were building A380s faster than people were ordering them,” Lange says. Emirates is the only airline to significantly invest in the plane, making up more than half of the 300-odd orders for the superjumbo jet since its launch in 2007. In total, the airline has 110 A380s in service, and 13 more on order. But even the Dubai-based airline decided to cut its final order by 39 planes, from 162 to 123 aircraft, a move that effectively signalled the end for the world’s biggest aircraft as Airbus then announced it would stop making the planes. “The greatest success of the A380 has been its symbiotic relationship with Emirates,” says Lange. But it also played a role in its downfall. “Emirates has been more successful with the aircraft than anyone else, but ironically, because of that success, other T wired.co.uk FLYING Nomoreprofitable tooperate A-380s fly intohistory