Posted on 12/27/2017 7:12:25 AM PST by mandaladon
PARIS (Reuters) - Airbus is drawing up contingency plans to phase out production of the world’s largest jetliner, the A380 superjumbo, if it fails to win a key order from Dubai’s Emirates, three people familiar with the matter said.
The moment of truth for the slow-selling airliner looms after just 10 years in service and leaves one of Europe’s most visible international symbols hanging by a thread, despite a major airline investment in new cabins unveiled this month.
“If there is no Emirates deal, Airbus will start the process of ending A380 production,” a person briefed on the plans said. A supplier added such a move was logical due to weak demand.
Airbus and Emirates declined to comment. Airbus also declined to say how many people work on the project.
Any shutdown is expected to be gradual, allowing Airbus to produce orders it has in hand, mainly from Emirates.
It has enough orders to last until early next decade at current production rates, according to a Reuters analysis.
The A380 was developed at a cost of 11 billion euros to carry some 500 people and challenge the reign of the Boeing 747.
(Excerpt) Read more at reuters.com ...
The 380 does not handle turbulence well.
Is the 787 a 2-engine plane?
Yes. There is really no need for a 4 engine passenger plane.
What if one of the 2 engines fail? Can it fly sideways?
I was ready to phase it out when they announced the design size.
Airbus claimed it would need to produce 270 planes to break even. A total of 216 planes have been delivered with with around a 100 planes ordered but not delivered. If this is the end Airbus only produced half the expected demand.
Airbus made a bad bet on the traditional hub and spoke model. Boeing thought point to point routes would increase in importance and they were right. The A380 is economical on longer routes when it’s full and passengers seem to like it. Airlines even charge a premium, but it’s a limited market that’s probably reached saturation.
Airbus does have the A350 to compete with the 787, though.
Its real competitor is Airbus’s own A350, which is a big hit due to its ultra-long range and low cost of operation. The A350 and 787 are the preferred long-haul jets of the future, and the 777 is on top now. The A380 and 747-8 are symbols of a bygone era.
They can fly on only one engine.
Disaster magnet?
Boeing analyzed the business viability of the SST back in the 60s, and decided to take a pass. The Europeans charged ahead with Concorde and operated it at a loss for decades, in order to secure bragging rights.
It was ok though because they had access to European taxpayer money.
Boeing also analyzed the long term prospects for a super jumbo, and didn’t like what it found. They decided to bet the farm on an ultra fuel efficient wide body made out of plastic.
That was the right decision too, looks like.
To me, the 380 just looks like a too-tempting target for terrorism.
The 380 wings are oversized for its size because they expected to build a larger variant without having to redesign the wings. As a result they pick up more turbulence and their gust suppression technology isn’t as good as the 787’s imo. Flying back from Japan during winter, the experience was horrible. Did it twice and each time it was terrifying.
It doesn’t handle muslim pilots well either.
I didn’t realize that there were 219 of those boondoggles delivered. Interesting.
The real breakeven was probably closer to 315-335, and would never be achieved.
And as soon as one crashes......
The “Mighty Boeing Killer” is on it’s deathbed. This is what happens when you make business decisions based on penis envy. Boeing wisely decided to get out of the mega plane market and focus on high-efficiency planes that could fill the demand of a world moving quickly towards point-to-point connections instead of routing everyone through major airport hubs and connecting flights.
People hate connecting flights, especially international connecting flights, due the hassle of security and everything else that goes with airplane travel.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.