Airbus Abandons The A380

In an option to abandon, Airbus announced that it would discontinue delivery of the A380 in 2021. The giant plane first flew 14 years ago. Airbus spent about $25 billion in developing the 853 passenger plane, but has only delivered 234 planes to date, well short of the 1,200 the company had projected. The demise of the plane is in large part due to the decision by airlines to fly lighter, more fuel efficient planes that reduced the need to fly a large number of passengers to hub airports. Boeing still manufactures its own jumbo jet, the 747, but delivered only six 747s in 2018. Of course, Boeing may get a pick up in orders for the 747 without competition from Airbus in the jumbo jet market.