Airbus to halt A380 production after Emirates cuts orders

Airbus (Toulouse, France) announced in February that it will cease deliveries of the A380 in 2021 following a decision by Emirates (Dubai, United Arab Emirates) to reduce its orders for the aircraft from 162 to 123. Emirates will take delivery of 14 further A380s over the next two years.

“As a result of this decision we have no substantial A380 backlog and hence no basis to sustain production, despite all our sales efforts with other airlines in recent years. This leads to the end of A380 deliveries in 2021,” says Airbus CEO Tom Enders. “The consequences of this decision are largely embedded in our 2018 full year results.”

Enders adds, “The A380 is not only an outstanding engineering and industrial achievement. Passengers all over the world love to fly on this great aircraft. Hence today’s announcement is painful for us and the A380 communities worldwide. But, keep in mind that A380s will still roam the skies for many years to come and Airbus will, of course, continue to fully support the A380 operators.” 

Emirates also announced that it is ordering 40 A330-900 and 30 A350-900 aircraft.

“The A380 is Emirates’ flagship and has contributed to the airline’s success for more than ten years. As much as we regret the airline’s position, selecting the A330neo and A350 for its future growth is a great endorsement of our very competitive widebody aircraft family,” says Guillaume Faury, president of Airbus Commercial Aircraft and future Airbus CEO. “Going forward, we are fully committed to deliver on the longstanding confidence Emirates is placing in Airbus.”