Airbus hit by jet cancellations as A380 shutdown looms

A380’s largest customer, Emirates, began discussions with Airbus over switching some A380 orders to smaller models after it failed to secure an engine contract for its latest batch of orders, Reuters reported last week.

Barring a surprise agreement to prop up the A380, Airbus is preparing to close production of the double-decker earlier than planned and could make a detailed announcement as early as its annual results on Feb 14, people familiar with the matter said. “It is the end of the A380,” an industry source said. Airbus declined comment. The spacious 544-seat, fourengined A380 is widely seen as a success with passengers but has come under pressure due to advances in the efficiency of the largest twin-engined jets.

At the opposite end of its portfolio, Airbus also reported the cancellation of orders for five of its smallest model, the 110-seat A220100, a monthly order tally showed. Airbus recently acquired the A220 programme from Canada’s Bombardier. The five planes had previously been assigned to unnamed government or private buyers.

The combined cancellations meant that Airbus began the year with a negative net total of 13 orders after unusually failing to win any new business during January. (AP)