It had been coming for longer, the end came at dawn: The European aerospace and defence group Airbus wants to build the largest passenger aircraft in the world any longer.
It is the problem child of the European technology group, is: In the past years, hardly any airline, had ordered an Airbus A380. The manufacturer, the buyer threatened to go out. A week ago, the Australian airline, Qantas Airways had withdrawn its order of eight A380 passenger aircraft in the year 2006. Now the Arabian airline Emirates darkened the future of the Riesenjets: The largest A380 customer, will reduce its orders from 162 to 123 machines, and in whole or in part, to the smaller Long haul aircraft A350 rewrite.
Group chief Executive Tom Enders said, thus each basis for further production of the giants is missing.
“Painful for us and for the Fans”
“This means that we adjust the delivery of the A380 starting in 2021”, said Enders. Thousands of Airbus employees could be affected by the decision. By “the current Production ramp-up in A320” and the order of new widebody aircraft by Emirates could arise, however, “many possibilities for internal change,” said Enders. He paid tribute to the Riesenjet as a “superior technical and industrial performance” and called the production stop, “painful for us and for the A380-Communities in the world.”
The double-Decker passenger jet had completed its first commercial flight in front of a good eleven years ago, on 25. October 2007. A long time it looked as if the Riesenjet could be a success story, he was regarded as a solution for chronically congested airports. In the past few years, the orders remained. Many of the Airlines, the plane is too large and consumes too much fuel – this is not economical, especially if the Riesenjet is not fully occupied.
The most important buyer of the A380, has accelerated the end of the aircraft
Economically it has been a successful year
Airbus presented this Thursday its full-year figures for 2018. The aerospace and defence group has made a significant leap in profits. The bottom line is a profit of 3.05 billion euros-29 percent more than the previous year. Sales increased by eight percent to 63.7 billion euros. The special charges associated with the A380 and A400M amounted to around 900 million euros. The shareholders are to receive a ten percent to 1.65 euros, increased dividend, the group’s headquarters in Toulouse, France. 2017 problems with the military transport aircraft A400M, had pressed for the win.
The A380 is not the only site
In addition to the A380 Disaster, the company has to cope with now but also a change at the top management of the group. The Frenchman Guillaume Faury to compete in April as the successor to the German CEO Tom Enders, some of the construction sites. Corruption investigations in Britain and France had shaken the aircraft manufacturer in the past. Recently, the U.S. Department of justice, had taken the Ministry of Airbus in its sights.
Otherwise it was a turbulent year for the European industry giants. For the Trouble of delivery caused problems for engines of the series, A320 and A321. Airbus could not build the middle of the year, about 100 aircraft, due to a lack of engines from the manufacturer, Pratt & Whitney, temporarily, to an end.
Last year, Airbus had its U.S. arch-rival Boeing on the heels. The Europeans delivered 800 aircraft to its customers, or 82 more than in the previous year. Thus, Airbus was only six machines behind the US group Boeing, which has defended for decades, its rank as the world’s largest aircraft manufacturer.
rb/djo (afp, dpa)
Our photo gallery for the tenth birthday of the A380 is from October 2017:
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A380: birthday child with worry linesThe Giant
The A380 looks impressive, and represents almost every competitor on the field, in the shadows. At a length of 72.7 meters, the machine has a wingspan of 79.8 m, their height is to 24.1 m. On both Decks, the Airline Emirates promoted, for example, in the “Three-class Version of ‘Extra-large'” 489 and in the “Two-class Version of ‘expansive'” up to 615 passengers.
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A380: birthday child with worry linesThe first copy
Singapore Airlines was the first airline to put the A380 into service. Here are the proud owners gathered at the airfield in Toulouse, to the big day to be documented. 15. In October 2007, was: The future of commercial aviation lies in the mass. The more passengers can be transported at once, the higher the profit of the Airline.
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A380: birthday child with worry linesAt the beginning of an Era?
Also in the case of the passengers of the giant flyer was well received. Participated in the Boarding of as many passengers, it may sometimes take a little longer. The infrastructure of most of the airports is unable to cope with the A380. Therefore, the machine flying most often between the major Airports: London, Frankfurt, New York, Singapore.
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A380: birthday child with worry linesThe first landing
Landing after 3:54 hours of flight time: 27. In April 2005, the first official flight of the giants took place. The concept with four engines seemed no alternative. In the meantime, it is clear: with only two turbines under the wings, you can fly such a giant, for sure, and it is significantly cheaper. Airbus wanted to implement, is likely to alone the development of billions of devour.
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A380: birthday child with worry linesExplosion of Turbine number Four
30.September of this year, there were over Greenland to a spectacular incident in an A380 Air France: On the flight to Los Angeles, a wave broke in the outer starboard Turbine, the first Fan broke and crashed to the ground. The pilots were able to land the machine safely. Overall, the A380 but has a good reputation – it is considered as a safe plane.
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A380: birthday child with worry linesOf the little sister left behind
The main argument, with the Airbus its flagship advertises, the large passenger capacity, namely, no longer seemingly. On the contrary, The short-haul aircraft Airbus A320 of the real bestseller of the pan-European aircraft manufacturer. Of the type, the second edition of the “A320neo” is currently being built, are already flying 4257 machines, in addition, 3618 orders.
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A380: birthday child with worry linesA worrying Trend
Of course, smaller machines are selling because of the greater demand more than wide-bodied aircraft such as the A380 here, the shell of the first copy. However, the falling sales numbers reason for concern: In the past year, 28 aircraft have been delivered, this year it will be 15, next year 12. For 2019, Airbus expects to have only eight deliveries.
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A380: birthday child with worry linesThe end of an Era
Whatever the future of the A380 looks like is that Airbus has just finished a successful Era. At the end of the year, the sales chief of the group, and John Leahy, retired. Within 23 years, he had sold 15.500 aircraft for $ 1.7 trillion. His successor will be measured by the fact – would be helpful in any case, if he would be able to sell more A380.
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A380: birthday child with worry linesA Herculean Task
Not only the competition with the other major aircraft manufacturers of our days, the US company Boeing, calls for Airbus. Also, the own structure of the group provides every day high requirements. The individual parts are mounted to the aircraft in France, Germany, Spain, the United Kingdom, China and the United States. Therefore, a flying giant like the A380 on a country road.
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A380: birthday child with worry linesThe hope lies in the East
On a Turn-Around at the sales figures for Airbus hopes because of the growth in China. The China-in-chief of the aircraft manufacturer, Eric Chen, expected in September 2017, that Chinese Airlines would have to spend in the next twenty years, more than $ 1.1 trillion for new aircraft. He expected, therefore, in the next five a requirement of 60 to 100 machines the size of a A380.
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A380: birthday child with worry linesAn uncertain future
Not only Airbus, the big machines make: Boeing about building a year, six copies of his Jumbo Jets as cargo planes. The outgoing Airbus sales chief John Leahy is for sure: “The passenger traffic,” he said in July, “will double.” The Problem he saw more on the floor: “We can’t build so many airports!” Maybe the A380 has a future.