With its introduction to the aviation world in 2007, the Airbus A380 became the largest commercial passenger airplane with a typical seating capacity of 575 seats.
The first A380 was delivered to Singapore
Airlines in 2007 and since than, 250 more A380’s were built with the production rate reaching its peak in 2012 with 30 aircraft per year.
Even though the airliner broke numerous records it failed to live up to the expectations of the manufacturer as the A380 failed to make a major impact on the airliners.
Many airlines still preferred wide body jet airplanes like the Boeing 777 or the Airbus A350 over the likes of the A380 as they were more cost-efficient.
Eventually, in 2019 Airbus announced the A380 production will come to an end in 2021.
Emirates, the largest operator of the A380 just received the last super jumbo ever to be manufactured which is the carrier’s 123rd A380.
The pandemic further worsened conditions for the A380 with Air France, Etihad Airways, Lufthansa, etc having expressed plans to retire the aircraft for good but the superjumbo will remain in the skies for many years ahead thanks to Emirates.
Emirates President Tim Clark has said the A380 will remain Emirate’s flagship product for the coming years as it is a vital pillar of the airline's network plans.
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