Double trouble

The superjumbo A380 is flying into retirement. Christopher Jasper explains why Airbus is calling time on the double-decker

An Airbus A380: in these days of fuel economy, it may be too big for its own good

Airbus took the drastic measure of terminating its flagship A380 superjumbo last week, with the last double-deckers due to roll off the production line in 2021.

That will be just 14 years after its first commercial flight, and just a year after Airbus appeared to have secured the aircraft’s long-term future with a much-needed order from Emirates. But its biggest customer had second thoughts and pared back its commitment, leaving Airbus with no ...