It came as no great surprise when Airbus made the end of A380 programmeand the date of the last delivery. Reviewing his flight plan, Emirates has decided to make a strategic shift, swapping its very large aircraft for smaller ones that are easier to fill. " The consequence of this decision is that our order book is no longer sufficient to enable us to maintain production of the A380, despite all our sales efforts with other airlines in recent years. This will put an end to A380 deliveries in 2021 "said Tom EndersAirbus's CEO, who spoke of a " A painful announcement for us and the A380 communities around the world ".
sad that the programme could not be maintained
Emirates' CEO, SA Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, for his part said " disappointed to have to abandon our order, and sad that the programme could not be maintained "he reminds us: " Emirates has been a fervent supporter of the A380 since its creation. The A380 is a wonderful aircraft that our customers and crews love. It is a differentiator for Emirates. ".
The decision will come as no great surprise to specialists in the field. Over time, the A380 has shown its limitations, and above all imposed constraints on airlines and airports alike. The former are often forced to reduce ticket prices to accommodate the XXL capacity of the superjumbo. The latter have to adapt their infrastructures to accommodate the specific features of the A380.
The Airbus boss can nevertheless console himself with the other orders placed by Emirates, namely 40 A330neo and 30 A350 : " While we regret the airline's decision, the choice of the A330neo and A350 for its future growth is a tremendous endorsement of our highly competitive widebody family. "Guillaume Faury, President of Airbus Commercial Aircraft and future Executive Chairman of Airbus. As for the aircraft manufacturer's employees, they should be reassigned to other models that are more in demand today: " Airbus will enter into discussions with its social partners in the coming weeks concerning the 3,000 to 3,500 positions likely to be affected by this decision over the next three years. However, the current A320 ramp-up and Emirates' new order for wide-body jets will provide numerous opportunities for internal mobility. "said Airbus in a press release.
The A380 will remain a mainstay of our fleet well into the 2030s
But A380 fans can rest assured that they will still have the opportunity to see the A380 spread its wings for a few years to come...". Bear in mind that the A380 will continue to take to the skies for many years to come, and that we will of course guarantee full support for our customers' A380 fleets. "warns Tom Enders. The CEO of Emirates confirms: " The A380 will remain a mainstay of our fleet well into the 2030s and, as we have always done, Emirates will continue to invest in our on-board products and services so that our customers can be assured that the Emirates A380 experience will always be first class. ".
Press conference by Airbus senior management to announce the end of A380 production
