The Airbus officially debuted the A380 on January 18, 2005 and months later in April it was ready to take its maiden flight. The fanfare that once encapsulated the aircraft has since faded, and the number of A380s being delivered has declined. A total of 242 aircraft of this type have been delivered to customers since 2007, but, last year, only eight were produced. Now, production is coming to an end.
The company announced in February 2019, they would discontinue production of the A380 in 2021. A similar future could be in store for their competitor model, the Boeing 747, with deliveries of the jumbo airliner also in declining for several years. Although both passenger plans can carry more people, they are inferior to newer and smaller aircrafts when it comes to economy, maintenance intensity and environmental friendliness.
