Airbus has made the decision to halt the production of its A380s in a move which could be regarded as a strong marker of air travel’s current state of evolution, the move comes after Emirates, its best customer, dropped its order from 162 to 123 aircraft.

But the drop in Emirates’ A380 order may not be too bad of a hit for Airbus – the airline has also announced an order for 40 A330-900 aircraft, and 30 A350-900 aircraft, a deal estimated to be worth US$21.4 billion. Following that, the latest generation Airbus A330neo and A350 aircraft will be delivered to Emirates starting from 2021 and 2024 respectively.

According to the BBC, the A380 was pitched at the fast-growing Asia and Middle East markets, where airlines were keen to fly more people per flight. However, its size may have been its downfall, as unfilled seats rendered flights unprofitable, not to mention issues such as escalating fuel prices and overall environmental impact.

Nevertheless, Emirates is regarded as one of the few airlines that found success in its A380 operations, consistently filling seats with its most popular long-haul routes and helping to build Dubai into a gateway between Europe and the USA, and Africa and Asia.

Despite the ceasing of production, it is still unlikely that the symbolic aircraft will lose its charm and popularity among passengers. The A380 has been something of a strong selling point from a consumer perspective, ever since its launch back in 2007.

As the largest commercial airplane in the world, flying on the A380 carried a certain novelty, particularly those travelling internationally for the first time. Online articles centered on “Ways You Can Fly the A380” or how to “Hitch a ride on the Airbus A380”, made simply boarding the plane (regardless of destination) a travel experience in and of itself.

Emirates arguably one-upped using the aircraft as a powerful brand builder, by audaciously decking it out with luxurious first class suites, on-board, lounge and spas. Thus, it is unlikely that the A380 will disappear from our skies anytime soon.

Said HH Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, “[The A380] is a differentiator for Emirates. We have shown how people can truly fly better on the A380, and Emirates has set the standards for that by introducing customer experiences that are unique to the A380 like our Shower Spas and Onboard Lounge. The A380 will remain a pillar of our fleet well into the 2030s.”

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