Airbus Delivers Last Superjumbo Airplane
2021-12-17
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1Airbus delivered its final A380 superjumbo airplane to Dubai's Emirates Airline on Thursday.
2The plane has been in production for 14 years.
3The A380 is the world's largest passenger airplane.
4It can seat up to 500 people on two levels.
5It includes things such as bars and showers in first class.
6Production of the plane ended after just 272 were built.
7The company first had plans to produce 1,000 or more.
8Airbus is an airplane-making conglomerate made up of separate companies in Britain, France, Germany and Spain.
9It decided to stop producing the A380 in 2019, as airlines became more likely to purchase smaller models.
10Emirates Airline is by far Airbus' largest buyer.
11The airline still believes in the superjumbo jet's ability to appeal to passengers.
12Even though no more A380s will be built, Emirates will keep flying them for years.
13But many airlines disagree and stopped flying the A380 during the COVID-19 pandemic.
14Emirates Airline president Tim Clark disagrees with critics who say the days of large four-engine planes like the A380 are in the past.
15"I don't share that view at all," Clark recently told reporters.
16"And I still believe there is a place for the A380."
17He added that the traveling public "absolutely (loves) that airplane."
18Talks to build the plane began in 2000.
19It was meant to be Airbus' 21st-century answer to Boeing's 1960s jumbo jet, the 747.
20The A380 has quiet Rolls Royce engines placed far out on its long wings.
21The body of the plane is light and easy to control.
22The plane was a symbol around the world of European technology.
23But it was costly to make and did not become very popular with airlines.
24The A380 lost the company $522 million in 2018.
25Airbus decided to halt production a year later.
26In January, Boeing announced that it would stop producing the 747 in 2022, after more than 51 years.
27The 747 is credited for changing the airline industry.
28But the company has been struggling to recover from production failures of its 737 Max plane,
29which led to deadly crashes in 2018 and 2019.
30The first delivery of the A380 came in 2007, more than two years later than expected.
31When Emirates got its first A380 a year later, the financial crisis hit.
32Sales for the biggest planes fell.
33Airlines seemed more interested in mid-size planes for shorter trips.
34Even on longer trips, airlines seemed to prefer smaller planes that were easier to fill with passengers.
35Boeing began selling models of its smaller 787 Dreamliner, which was later followed by the Airbus A350.
36"There was a slowing down of appetite and enthusiasm.
37We didn't share that view; we put this great (A380) aircraft to work,"
38Clark said at an airlines meeting.
39He added, "We have what I think is one of the most beautiful aircraft ever flown."
40I'm Dan Novak.
1Airbus delivered its final A380 superjumbo airplane to Dubai's Emirates Airline on Thursday. The plane has been in production for 14 years. 2The A380 is the world's largest passenger airplane. It can seat up to 500 people on two levels. It includes things such as bars and showers in first class. 3Production of the plane ended after just 272 were built. The company first had plans to produce 1,000 or more. 4Airbus is an airplane-making conglomerate made up of separate companies in Britain, France, Germany and Spain. It decided to stop producing the A380 in 2019, as airlines became more likely to purchase smaller models. 5Emirates Airline is by far Airbus' largest buyer. The airline still believes in the superjumbo jet's ability to appeal to passengers. Even though no more A380s will be built, Emirates will keep flying them for years. But many airlines disagree and stopped flying the A380 during the COVID-19 pandemic. 6Emirates Airline president Tim Clark disagrees with critics who say the days of large four-engine planes like the A380 are in the past. 7"I don't share that view at all," Clark recently told reporters. "And I still believe there is a place for the A380." He added that the traveling public "absolutely (loves) that airplane." 8Talks to build the plane began in 2000. It was meant to be Airbus' 21st-century answer to Boeing's 1960s jumbo jet, the 747. The A380 has quiet Rolls Royce engines placed far out on its long wings. The body of the plane is light and easy to control. 9The plane was a symbol around the world of European technology. But it was costly to make and did not become very popular with airlines. The A380 lost the company $522 million in 2018. Airbus decided to halt production a year later. 10In January, Boeing announced that it would stop producing the 747 in 2022, after more than 51 years. The 747 is credited for changing the airline industry. But the company has been struggling to recover from production failures of its 737 Max plane, which led to deadly crashes in 2018 and 2019. 11The first delivery of the A380 came in 2007, more than two years later than expected. When Emirates got its first A380 a year later, the financial crisis hit. Sales for the biggest planes fell. 12Airlines seemed more interested in mid-size planes for shorter trips. Even on longer trips, airlines seemed to prefer smaller planes that were easier to fill with passengers. 13Boeing began selling models of its smaller 787 Dreamliner, which was later followed by the Airbus A350. 14"There was a slowing down of appetite and enthusiasm. We didn't share that view; we put this great (A380) aircraft to work," Clark said at an airlines meeting. 15He added, "We have what I think is one of the most beautiful aircraft ever flown." 16I'm Dan Novak. 17Dan Novak adapted this story based on reports from Reuters and The Associated Press. Ashley Thompson was the editor. 18_________________________________________________ 19Words in This Story 20deliver - v. to take something to a person or place 21jumbo - adj. very large 22bar - n. a counter where alcoholic drinks are served 23shower - n. a device that produces a spray of water for you to stand under and wash your body 24conglomerate - n. a large business that is made of different kinds of companies 25view - n. an opinion or way of thinking about something 26symbol - n. an action, object, event, etc., that expresses or represents a particular idea or quality 27appetite - n. a physical desire for food 28enthusiasm - n. strong excitement about something