In recent times, Airbus announced that it would cease the building of the Airbus A380 in 2018. This announcement came after not a single airline had ordered the jumbo jet in 2014. Since its first flight on April 27 2005 operated by Singapore Airlines, the jumbo has been successful in obtaining orders from 19 customers and having delivered to 12 of these customers.
The decision to consider ending A380 production came after a rise of orders for smaller, more technologically advanced and fuel efficient aircraft in 2014. More modern aircraft such as the A350 and b787 are set to be seen more frequently in our skies. These aircraft are smaller and more efficient by their use of fuel due to their use of composite materials such as carbon fibre.
Another reason Airbus has considered to terminate the A380 is due to the decreased number of orders for the b747. The 747 has been a popular aircraft among airlines since its maiden flight in 1969. Over the years as aeronautical technology has become more advanced, new and improved models of the 747 jumbo have been built. The newest is the 747-8 which proceeded for its maiden flight in early 2010. As with the A380, demand for the jumbo has been decreased.
Opposing the decision of Airbus to terminate the A380, CEO of Emirates Tim Clarke. Emirates has an abundance of A380s both in their fleet and on order. Their obligation is to put these jumbos into service on every route possible. His argument is that as demand for air travel is set to grow in the future, we will require aircraft like the A380. He also stated that the key reason airlines are not making good profit from these aircraft is due to the way they internally configure the aircraft. Emirates airline has configured on-board bars and 5 star bathrooms on its A380s. They have obtained a good profit from their use.
Conclusively, the decision to terminate the A380 is saddening for us all.
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