Airbus Is Giving Up On the A380

'It's the end of the line for the biggest passenger jet ever built: the A380 is going to cease production,' writes Slashdot reader Required Snark, citing a report from CNN. From the report: The European plane maker said Thursday that it will stop delivering A380s in 2021 after its key customer, Dubai-based airline Emirates, slashed its orders for the huge jetliner. 'We have no substantial A380 backlog and hence no basis to sustain production, despite all our sales efforts with other airlines in recent years,' Airbus CEO Tom Enders said in a company statement. The company has delivered 234 of the superjumbos to date, less than a quarter of the 1,200 it predicted it would sell when it first introduced the double-decker aircraft. Its plans were undermined by airlines shifting their interest to lighter, more fuel efficient passenger jets that have reduced the need to ferry passengers between the big hubs. 'Passengers all over the world love to fly on this great aircraft. Hence today's announcement is painful for us and the A380 communities worldwide,' Enders said. 'But keep in mind that A380s will still roam the skies for many years to come and Airbus will of course continue to fully support the A380 operators.'

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