Emirates takes delivery of its first Airbus A380, July 2008.
Source: Airbus
A Humiliating End to the Superjumbo Era
Airbus set out to remake air travel with its ambitious A380. Here’s how it happened, and what went wrong.
The world’s biggest passenger plane is approaching the end of the line after little more than 11 years of production, with Airbus SE planning to cease building the A380 superjumbo in 2021 following a cut in orders from No. 1 customer Emirates.
As the iconic double-decker, which commonly seats more than 600 and has wowed travelers with in-flight showers and bars, enters its twilight years, here’s a timeline of the superjumbo’s checkered and brief history.