Jump directly to the content

AIRBUS has announced it will end production of its flagship A380 superjumbo jet, which could put hundreds of British jobs at risk.

The decision was made after Emirates chose to reduce it's orders of the world's largest passenger jet by a quarter.

 Thousands of jobs could be at risk as Airbus announce the end of the A380
3
Thousands of jobs could be at risk as Airbus announce the end of the A380Credit: Reuters

The Dubai-based carrier changed their order from 152 aircrafts to 123 aircrafts, opting instead to buy smaller planes such as the A330-900 and A350-900.

Due to the reduction and a lack of order backlog with other airlines, Airbus said it would end deliveries of the record-breaking plane in 2021 - just 14 years after it first entered commercial service.

Airbus said it would "start discussions with its social partners in the next few weeks regarding the 3,000 to 3,500 positions potentially impacted over the next three years".

The BBC reported around .

 The A380 is the largest passenger jet in the world
3
The A380 is the largest passenger jet in the worldCredit: AFP

However, Airbus declined to give details of the number of potential jobs that could be impacted.

President of Airbus Commercial Aircraft and future Airbus CEO Guillaume Faury said: "We are in the phase of analysing the situation and will have consultations with our partners."

On the impact on British jobs, Airbus chief executive Tom Enders said: "It needs to be evaluated.

"Hopefully we can redeploy a significant number of our employees there and re-use also the infrastructure."

 Emirates recently cut their order of the A380 by a quarter
3
Emirates recently cut their order of the A380 by a quarterCredit: Reuters

As the largest passenger plane in the world, it can carry more than 500 people and is 240 foot long.

It became the biggest passenger jet in 2007 after taking the title from Boeing 747.

According to Airbus, more than 190 million passengers have flown on the jet since launching with more than 300 commercial flights a day.

Airbus CEO Tom Enders ​urges UK decision makers to avoid ​a ​no-deal​ Brexit​

Earlier this year, Airbus threatened to quit the UK if leaving the EU with no-deal following Brexit.

This could threaten thousands more British jobs if manufacturing in the country ended.

Currently, some of the best first class cabins in the world can be found on .

Etihad A380 offers a suite called The Residence which has a six foot bed, seven course tasting menu and a private shower, costing £26,000 one way.

The Qantas A380 offers a champagne bar, seven foot bed with sheepskin mattresses and golden chandeliers as decoration.

Topics