Emirates will receive the last Airbus A380 ever in November

In November, Emirates will receive the last three A380s produced, marking the end of an era for the double-decker jet, officially ending the program. The Airbus A380, which made its first test flight on April 27, 2005, is the largest passenger airliner in the world. However, Airbus announced production of the jumbojet would end at the end of 2021 due to low demand from carriers.

Airlines have been ordering smaller aircraft to satisfy the passenger demand for more point to point flights rather than connecting flights through big hubs. The Airbus A350, A330 and the Boeing 777 and 787 have been much more popular, and lead to the cancellation of the A380 and 747 quad jets.

Emirates is the biggest buyer of the A380 making up nearly half of the 251 orders. Currently, the airline has 115 A380 aircraft in its fleet but will grow that to 118 after the final delivery. Initially, the carrier was supposed to receive its last A380 in June 2022.

The airline plans to keep the A380 in its fleet for at least another 20 years, offering comfortable long-haul travel on the modern, spacious jet.

The A380 took its maiden flight in 2005, and was an impressive feat of engineering at the time, but has since become one of Airbus’ biggest failures due to its high operating costs and inefficiency in the modern era.

However, the jet wasn’t the game-changer Airbus envisioned, especially on the financial front. For much of the plane’s life, Airbus has struggled to find airlines willing to put the A380 into service. With a price tag of $445.6 million, the A380 is one of the most expensive and lavish airplanes ever built, with room for as many as 800 passengers.

Thus, the program ends with just 251 planes. The COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the plane’s death knell, with airlines around the world grounding their fleets and some outright retiring the jet. yahoo.com