• Airbus will stop production of its A380 superjet by 2021 Reuters
    Airbus will stop production of its A380 superjet by 2021 Reuters
  • People look at a Emirates A380 airbus landing in Nice, south of France. AFP
    People look at a Emirates A380 airbus landing in Nice, south of France. AFP
  • Sheikh Mohammed takes a tour of an Emirates A380 during the opening ceremony of the Dubai Airshow in 2013. AFP
    Sheikh Mohammed takes a tour of an Emirates A380 during the opening ceremony of the Dubai Airshow in 2013. AFP
  • A visitor poses for a photo in front of an Emirates A380 Airbus passenger aircraft decorated with a giant portrait of UAE founding father Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan. AFP
    A visitor poses for a photo in front of an Emirates A380 Airbus passenger aircraft decorated with a giant portrait of UAE founding father Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan. AFP
  • Airbus and Emirates celebrate the 100th A380 in 2018. Courtesy Emirates
    Airbus and Emirates celebrate the 100th A380 in 2018. Courtesy Emirates
  • The A380 is the World biggest passenger jet . AP
    The A380 is the World biggest passenger jet . AP
  • Emirates will receive 14 more A380s from Airbus before the plane maker ends production. Courtesy Emirates
    Emirates will receive 14 more A380s from Airbus before the plane maker ends production. Courtesy Emirates
  • Airbus said Thursday it will stop making A380 superjumbo jets in 2021 after struggling to win clients. AP Photo
    Airbus said Thursday it will stop making A380 superjumbo jets in 2021 after struggling to win clients. AP Photo
  • Interior of Business Class on an Emirates A380. Courtesy: Emirates
    Interior of Business Class on an Emirates A380. Courtesy: Emirates
  • Interior of Business Class on Emirates A380. Courtsey: Emirates
    Interior of Business Class on Emirates A380. Courtsey: Emirates
  • An air stewardess arranges bedsheets of a double bed in a suite of Singapore Airlines' new Airbus A380 during a tour of the plane at Changi Airport in Singapore. AFP
    An air stewardess arranges bedsheets of a double bed in a suite of Singapore Airlines' new Airbus A380 during a tour of the plane at Changi Airport in Singapore. AFP
  • An Airbus A380, the largest passenger jet in the world, in Dubai. The airline topped a list of attractive employers in a recent survey of Gen Y and Gen Z. EPA
    An Airbus A380, the largest passenger jet in the world, in Dubai. The airline topped a list of attractive employers in a recent survey of Gen Y and Gen Z. EPA
  • The special Emirates A380 will be in service with the Real Madrid decal for six months. Courtesy Emirates
    The special Emirates A380 will be in service with the Real Madrid decal for six months. Courtesy Emirates
  • United for Wildlife Emirates A380 before its first flight to London. Courtesy Emirates Airline
    United for Wildlife Emirates A380 before its first flight to London. Courtesy Emirates Airline
  • An Etihad Airways A380 at the Formula One Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. Christopher Pike / The National
    An Etihad Airways A380 at the Formula One Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. Christopher Pike / The National
  • A Singapore Airlines Airbus in the snow at JFK, 2018. Reuters
    A Singapore Airlines Airbus in the snow at JFK, 2018. Reuters
  • Etihad Airways economy on an A380. Courtesy Etihad
    Etihad Airways economy on an A380. Courtesy Etihad
  • The Lobby of an Etihad Airways A380. AFP
    The Lobby of an Etihad Airways A380. AFP
  • Aermacchi MB-339 jets from UAE's Al-Fursan display team perform with an Airbus A380 from Etihad Airways before the start of the Abu Dhabi Formula One Grand Prix at the Yas Marina circuit. AFP
    Aermacchi MB-339 jets from UAE's Al-Fursan display team perform with an Airbus A380 from Etihad Airways before the start of the Abu Dhabi Formula One Grand Prix at the Yas Marina circuit. AFP
  • An Emirates Airbus A380 plane in Beirut, Lebanon. AP Photo
    An Emirates Airbus A380 plane in Beirut, Lebanon. AP Photo
  • An Emirates Airline A-380 leads UAE's "Al Fursan" aerobatic display team, during the opening day of the Dubai Air Show. AP Photo
    An Emirates Airline A-380 leads UAE's "Al Fursan" aerobatic display team, during the opening day of the Dubai Air Show. AP Photo
  • The tail of the Airbus A-380 at the 46th Paris Air Show. Getty Images
    The tail of the Airbus A-380 at the 46th Paris Air Show. Getty Images
  • An Emirates Airbus A380 plane is seen at Nice International airport in Nice, France. REUTERS
    An Emirates Airbus A380 plane is seen at Nice International airport in Nice, France. REUTERS
  • An Airbus SAS A380 super jumbo performs a flying display on day two of the 51st International Paris Air Show in Paris, France. Bloomberg
    An Airbus SAS A380 super jumbo performs a flying display on day two of the 51st International Paris Air Show in Paris, France. Bloomberg
  • Line Emirates is one of the airlines included in the TSA's emergency order. Courtesy Emirates
    Line Emirates is one of the airlines included in the TSA's emergency order. Courtesy Emirates
  • Tthe A380 has been Airbus’s flagship project for the past two decades. Bloomberg
    Tthe A380 has been Airbus’s flagship project for the past two decades. Bloomberg
  • A British Airways A380. Courtesy British Airways
    A British Airways A380. Courtesy British Airways
  • A Singapore Airlines Airbus A380 at Beijing airport. AFP
    A Singapore Airlines Airbus A380 at Beijing airport. AFP
  • New wheels on the Emirates A380. Courtesy Emirates
    New wheels on the Emirates A380. Courtesy Emirates
  • At Dubai's Miracle Garden, more than five million flowers were grown to produce a full-size Emirates Airbus A380. Courtesy Guinness World Records
    At Dubai's Miracle Garden, more than five million flowers were grown to produce a full-size Emirates Airbus A380. Courtesy Guinness World Records

Aviation

The age of the Airbus A380 - in pictures

Airbus will end production of its flagship passenger jet in 2021

Stephen Nelmes

February 14, 2019

  • English
  • Arabic

If you've ever flown to the UAE you are likely to have arrived on one, but the end of the runway is nigh for the popular Airbus A380.

By 2021, the final jet will roll out of Toulouse, ending a chapter in aviation history akin to the demise of Concorde or the iconic jet the A380 initially aimed to topple - Boeing's 747.

Emirates, Airbus's best customer, agreed to take 14 more A380s, as well as 70 smaller airliners from the European planemaker.

The superjumbo, which is loved by passengers, contributed to Dubai International racing ahead of London Heathrow as the world's busiest passenger airport while combatting runway congestion in the process. Hundreds of jam-packed 544-seater flights take off or land in Dubai around the clock with the airport celebrating one billion passengers in December.

But lacklustre sales elsewhere meant chief executive Tom Enders toyed with ending the project two years ago. He was persuaded to give the A380 a chance, but the giant plane's days were numbered - and perhaps will never be romanticised quite like Concorde and certainly didn't have the staying power of Boeing's Queen of the Skies.

The world's largest passenger jet will not enjoy a life of cargo like the 747 either - it was always designed to be the ultimate people carrier.

Above is a gallery of the A380's greatest hits - from the first order by Singapore Airways in 2007 to a truly memorable fly-over at the Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

Airbus