The worst kept secret in the industry is that the A380 has come in several tons overweight than Airbust contractional promised the buyers. Airbust is currently taking it up the a$$ on the existing order customers demanding financial compensation or Airbust springing for carbon fiber materials to lighten the interior such as the frames for all the seats which will mean the planes are sold at even a greater loss.
All this financial compensation means the amount of A380’s that are needed to be ordered for the project to even break even is now anywhere from 600 to 700 planes, double what was originally spec’d. The number is realistically even higher after all the money they invested in the freighter version which currently has 0 orders.
Then again, Airbust doesn’t really need to worry about such things because its run as a socialist job creation program for Europe, rather than a business that depends on profits to keep it alive. The euro taxpayers will be responsible for funding all these problems with with A340, A380, and the billions in subsidies the Airbust A350 project will demand.
Lest we forget.