Last A380 Rolls Out

6

The last A380 has rolled off the assembly line in Toulouse, France, ending the production run at just 242 aircraft. When production began in 2006, Airbus estimated demand at 1200 aircraft but the Super Jumbo was quickly eclipsed by long-range twins that could carry almost as many passengers at much lower cost. The current collapse of the airline industry has grounded most of the fleet and two of the earliest aircraft launched by Singapore Airlines have already been scrapped.

The last A380 is owned by Emirates but there is some question whether it will enter service for the airline. Emirates operates more than half the fleet and has already set 2035 as the end of service date for the type. Since there is virtually no secondhand market for the aircraft, it appears most will head for scrap. The last A380 still has plenty of work left on it. It needs engines, an interior and an Emirates paint job before it is sent to the owner.

Russ Niles
Russ Niles is Editor-in-Chief of AVweb. He has been a pilot for 30 years and joined AVweb 22 years ago. He and his wife Marni live in southern British Columbia where they also operate a small winery.

Other AVwebflash Articles

6 COMMENTS

    • Sorry to see the end of the line for most airplanes, but this thing has been a blight on aviation since day one. It made even some British and Russian airplanes look good.
      Think of all the ridiculous amounts money that was spent by airports, etc., to accommodate this over-hyped monster, and all for naught in most places. Sure could have been put to better uses.
      I, for one, won’t miss the butt-ugly POS.

  1. I fly Boeing, but I am open minded when it comes to Airbus or Boeing.. The A380 is an incredible accomplishment.. But, was conceived under the premise of creating jobs and claiming “super size aircraft” status from Boeing.. It was a complete miscalculation of market demand.. As we watch the B747 orders fade away, the market for “super size aircraft” is simply not there..

  2. The 380 was designed and built to wrest the title of “World’s Premier Aircraft Builder” from Boeing. In this, Airbus failed, but they needn’t have bothered: Boeing is hell-bent on just handing them the title.

LEAVE A REPLY