Airbus scraps super-jumbo

EUROPEAN plane maker Airbus has pulled the plug on the world’s largest airliner after orders were slashed by its largest customer.

The move to axe the superjumbo A380 jet puts as many as 3,500 jobs at risk – about 200 of which are in the UK.

Airbus will now stop producing the plane in 2021 after Dubaibased airline Emirates said it only wanted 123 aircraft – 39 fewer than first planned.

The huge A380 jets can seat more than 500 passengers each and have 500 square metres of usable floor space, allowing airlines to install bars, shower spas and plush first-class areas.

But Emirates has struggled to sell seats on the double-decker aircraft to passengers.

It has now placed an order for 70 smaller Airbus jets in a deal worth around £17bn.

The decision is a boost for RollsRoyce, which will build the jet engines for these planes.