Air France-KLM has canceled the remaining two Airbus A380 Superjumbo aircraft it had on it’s order book. The airline decided to swap the 2 remaining A380 aircraft for 3 of the more flexible Airbus A350-900 long range airplane. Air France executives stated that the fact that the A380 aircraft cannot land at all airports limits the flexibility of the airlines route management. Airbus has seen a sharp drop in the already limited demand for the over budget Superjumbo aircraft. The European aircraft manufacturer was able to recently place 3 of the A380 aircraft with All Nippon Airlines of Japan, but reports indicate that the price paid for those planes were a mere fraction of the Airbus list price.
Air France-KLM latest to cancel Airbus A380 order
The A380 program has been a source of major financial pressure on the European aircraft manufacturer. Design and production issues with the plane has caused the cost of the program to escalate. Airbus has booked just 319 firm orders total for the A380 aircraft in 15 years, but many of those deliveries remaining on the order log are in doubt. Virgin Atlantic Airways has stated that it does not plan to take delivery of the 6 A380 aircraft the airline originally ordered back in December of 2000. Malaysia Airlines had planed to sell or lease out part, or all, of its A380 fleet, but recently abandoned those plans due to a lack of interest in the aircraft from potential customers. The A380 program has been a money loser for the company, and the future of the airplane may be in jeopardy. Emirates Airline president Tim Clark has stated that his airline would purchase up to 200 additional A380 aircraft if Airbus agreed to update the design with new engines, but the plane maker has balked at committing more money to the program in the near future.
