Qantas's cancellation of the A380 superjumbo jets is the latest blow to aeronautics company Airbus. A number of airlines have canceled or stalled orders in recent years, causing Airbus to question the A380's future.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa
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Australian airline Qantas Airways on Thursday announced it had formally canceled an order for eight Airbus A380 superjumbo jets.
"Following discussions with Airbus, Qantas has now formalized its decision not to take eight additional A380s that were ordered in 2006," a Qantas spokesperson said. "These aircraft have not been part of the airline's fleet and network plans for some time."
The Qantas announcement comes following doubts over the future of the world's largest passenger airliner, as A380 orders continue to decline and stall.
Last month, Airbus removed orders for 10 of the European superjumbo jets, reportedly linked to Hong Kong Airlines.
The Airbus A380 a birthday kid with wrinkles
After a decade in service, the Airbus A380 is still the biggest passenger plane in the skies. But questions keep coming up as to whether the giant has already seen its best days. Is it now a relic of the past?
Image: Airbus
The giant
The A380 is simply impressive and puts almost every other competitor on the airfield in the shadow — literally. With a length of 72.7 meters (238 feet) the plane has a wingspan of 79.8 meters and is over 24 meters tall. On its two decks, the airline Emirates can accommodate 489 passengers in its three-class extra-wide-room version, and up to 615 passengers in its two-class long-range model.
Image: Master Films/P. Pigeyre
The first landing
On April 27, 2005 the first official flight of the giant took place. After 3 hours and 54 minutes in the air, it landed safely. At the time it seemed inconceivable to fly with less than four engines. Since then it has become clear that a mere two turbines are enough to carry such giants — and for significantly less money. Yet developing this technology would likely run into the billions.
Image: em company/P. Masclet
The original
Singapore Airlines was the first airline to deploy the A380. Here the proud new owners are shown on the tarmac in Toulouse — gathered together to document the great day. Back then on October 15, 2007, the future of passenger flying was still seen in terms of size: The more passengers transported at once, the more profit for the airline.
Image: Airbus
The beginning of an era?
The giant passenger jet was also well received by travelers. They weren't bothered that the boarding of so many passengers sometimes took a bit longer. However, the infrastructure of most airports is overwhelmed by the gigantic A380. For this reason, the aircraft flies most frequently between major airports like London, Frankfurt, New York and Singapore.
Image: Master Films/P. Pigeyre
A Herculean task
It's not just competitors like Boeing that make life for Airbus difficult. The company's own structure is demanding and hinders streamlining. Individual components for the aircraft are manufactured in France, Germany, Spain, Great Britain, China and the USA. That's why the body of a giant A380 can be seen on a country road once in a while.
Image: em company/H. Goussé
A worrying trend
Naturally, smaller planes are selling better than mega aircraft like the A380 — here the shell of the first model. Despite this commonly acknowledged fact, declining sales figures are a cause for concern. Last year only 28 A380s were delivered. This year it will be 15. Next year only 12 will leave the workshop. By 2019, Airbus only expects to deliver eight.
Image: Airbus
The end of an era?
Whatever the future of the A380 will actually look like, it is certain that Airbus has just ended a successful era. At the end of this year, the company's chief salesman, John Leahy, will retire. In his 23 years, he had been able to sell 15,500 aircraft for around $1.7 trillion. His successor will be measured by this — sales of more A380s would be helpful in any case.
Image: em company/H. Goussé
An uncertain future
Airbus isn't the only one worried about mega planes. Its competitor Boeing only builds around six of its jumbo jets a year — and they are used for cargo. Yet the outgoing Airbus salesman John Leahy is nonetheless certain that passenger numbers will double. He sees the problem on the ground and not with the A380, complaining that airports need to be prepared. Maybe the A380 does have a future.
Emirates has ordered 56 A380s, but is reportedly considering switching some or all of them for smaller fuel-efficient aircraft such as the A350 or A330.
Qantas said it remains committed to "a major upgrade of its existing A380s, which begins in mid-calendar 2019 and will see us operate the aircraft well into the future."
The airline currently has 12 A380 aircraft in its fleet. The value of the aborted deal for eight of the massive airliners was not made public, but the cost of each aircraft is said to be about €383.86 million ($436 million).
Qantas also has eight 787 Dreamliners — Boeing's somewhat smaller oversized competitor to the A380 — with six more due to be delivered towards the end of this year. These will replace the company's Boeing 747 fleet.
The Australian carrier's budget airline Jetstar will also start receiving the first of 18 Airbus A321neos from mid-2020.
