The giant of the skies is short of breath. And, due to lack of suitors, he could retire at the tender age of seven. The thrill of the future of the Airbus A380unleashedHarald Wilhem, the financial director of the European consortium, was the two-story superstructure capable of transporting up to 850 passengers: “The budget of this model will come to balance in 2018 – he said during a meeting with investors in London -. that you decide to make a new improved version whether you choose to suspend production “. The hypothesis, in the sector, is not a bolt from the blue. The “beast” of the Airbus has not received even an order in 2014 and the aviation tam tam has questioned its survival for months. However, the stock market was caught by surprise and in the last three days the group’s stocks fell by 20%. By inducing the top of society to half reverse: “The program is under control and there is no it is urgent to take decisions – said project director Fabrice Bergier -. We are studying an improvement in engines that reduce consumption and a version with bridging upgrades that will guarantee the jet a capacity of a thousand passengers “.

Reassurance that for now they are not enough to reassure the markets, convinced that the Airbus A380 has now lost its battle against its rival Boeing787, which seems to have turned out to be a winning choice for Seattle after a very difficult take-off. The challenge between the two super-planes began at the turn of the millennium when the two leaders of the world skies began to design the new flagship. Airbus and Boeing have taken two opposite routes. The consortium of the Old Continent has built a very high capacity jet, counting on the fact that in the super-clogged airports of the future and with few slots available it will be more convenient to use airplanes capable of carrying many passengers and able to host very high-level suites and services. level. Seattle went in the opposite direction. Focusing on a model that is less ambitious in terms of size (among other things, it costs about half) but much more economically efficient thanks to the extensive use of composite materials.

The stop at the super-Airbus would be a very hard blow, not only of image, for the Toulouse company. Development spending was 11 billion. And to date the program has been in deep red. To compete with the Dreamliner would therefore remain the new A350, another project that however struggles to take off. And the stock exchange reflects the nervousness of these prospects. Nervi on the skin also at Emirates, the company that has more bet on the A380 of which it has about 55 aircraft already in service with potential orders for another 140 units. “Of course, the news of a possible farewell to the project did not give us great pleasure,” said President Tim Clark. And the coldness of the Gulf company probably convinced the leaders of Toulouse to reaffirm their trust (in time) in their flying giant.