Emirates will receive the last Airbus A380 ever in November. Here's how the world's largest passenger plane went from revolutionary to reject in just a decade.

During the 1970s, Airbus' A300B was the new kid in the world of commercial airliners.

By the early 1990s, Airbus was in a much different position. Its narrow-body A320 family, which helped pioneer civilian fly-by-wire technology, was well on its way to becoming the second-best-selling jetliner in history.

At the same time, the company unveiled its new A330 ...

... and A340 family wide-body jets. The two jets offered viable alternatives to Boeing's 767 and 777 wide-bodies. But Airbus has set its sights on a bigger target ...

... the Boeing 747-400. Airbus wanted to produce an aircraft even bigger than Boeing's latest jumbo jet - with lower operating costs.

The result was a double-decker concept called the A3XX.

The A3XX would eventually morph into the A380 superjumbo.

The A380 is built in a 1.6-million-square-foot assembly plant at Airbus headquarters in Toulouse.

At 239 feet long, 79 feet tall, and 262 feet from wingtip to wingtip, it's a big plane.

Only the Boeing 747-8 is longer, at 250 feet and two inches (although the A380 can carry many more passengers).

According to Airbus, in a typical four-class seating arrangement, the superjumbo can carry as many as 544 passengers, with a range of more than 9,400 miles. In a high-density configuration, the A380 is certified to carry as many as 868 passengers - 538 on the main deck, 330 on the upper floor.

Power for the A380 comes from a quartet of engines from suppliers Rolls-Royce and Engine Alliance.

The A380's flight crew operates from a state-of-the-art glass cockpit. Like all modern Airbus jets, the aircraft is flown using a side stick, with a fly-by-wire control system.

After its maiden flight, the A380 completed a flight-test program before entering commercial service in 2007.

As an airliner, the A380 promised luxury and comfort on an unprecedented scale.

The Airbus jumbo delivered, at least to airlines that wanted to take advantage of luxurious options. Premium features, such as walk-up bars ...

... private lounges ...

... and bathrooms with showers set the superjumbo apart from its rivals.

And then there are the first-class suites that Emirates offers ...

... the even larger first-class suites that Singapore unveiled ...

Read about Singapore Airlines' new A380 suites »

... and Etihad's The Residence.

It's a 125-square-foot flying home.

On October 15, 2007, Singapore Airlines took delivery of the first production A380.

Soon, other global airlines, such as Korean Air ...

... Lufthansa ...

... Qantas ...

... British Airways ...

... Malaysia Airlines ...

... Thai Airways ...

... Air France ...

... Qatar Airways ...

... Asiana Airlines ...

... China Southern ...

... and Etihad took delivery of the plane.

Portugal's HiFly became the first airline to operate a second-hand A380 when it took delivery of an ex-Singapore Airlines jet in the summer of 2018.

Japan's All Nippon Airways became the latest airline to introduce the A380 in 2018, which it flies between Tokyo and Honolulu, Hawaii. It's painted to look like a sea turtle.

But no customer is more important than Emirates and its CEO, Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, seen here with former Airbus CEO Tom Enders.

Emirates accounts for 123 of the 274 of the A380s ever ordered.

Emirates is a predominantly long-haul international airline whose business is built around funneling millions of passengers through its palatial central hub in Dubai and then on to destinations around the world.

As a result, Emirates needs an aircraft that can carry a lot of passengers for very long distances - a perfect job for the A380.

But few airlines use Emirates' strategy. These days, the trend in the industry is to offer direct flights using smaller long-range aircraft.

Instead of Emirates' dedicated hub-and-spoke route model, most airlines have moved towards more point-to-point flying. This has allowed smaller, more efficient twinjets like the Boeing 777 ...

... and the Airbus A330 to become the dominant forces in long-haul flying.

Smaller next-generation composite wide-bodies like the Boeing 787 Dreamliner offer airlines more flexibility and less risk. According to the CEO of Qantas, Alan Joyce, it costs less to operate two Dreamliners than it does to fly a single A380.

As a result, the A380 never developed into a true workhorse like the 747. Instead, it has been relegated to a niche aircraft economically feasible only on routes with heavy airport congestion.

Boeing has similarly all but given up on the 747-8 as a passenger jet, which will end production in 2022.

Source: BI

With early production A380s coming to the end of their 10-year leases, Airbus will likely have to contend with competition for its own used planes. However, early signs for the second-hand market aren't promising. German investment firm Dr. Peters Group has decided to sell its off-lease A380s for spare parts after it couldn't find any takers for the plane.

Emirates Airline president, Sir Tim Clark, has for years pushed Airbus to make a more cost-effective version of the plane with upgraded aerodynamics and a new fuel-efficient engine called the A380neo. That hasn't happened.

Airbus has been reluctant to invest the kind of money needed to develop a new version of the A380. In 2017, Airbus offered its customers a moderately updated version of the plane, called the A380 Plus, with room for 80 more people and new winglets for better fuel economy. So far, there have been no takers.

Unlike with the Boeing 747, the A380 freighter never came to fruition, so Airbus won't be able to subsist on sales of a cargo variant while it waits for passenger-plane sales to rebound.

In January 2018, Emirates ordered 20 additional A380s that would have kept the A380 production line moving for the next decade.

However, that deal fell apart. In the end, even the A380's most loyal customer couldn't hold on any longer. Emirates cut 39 A380s from its original order of 162 planes and bought smaller twin-engine Airbus A330neos and A350s instead.

In 2017, Singapore Airlines became the first airline to retire an A380, the first of five to be taken out of service. One has been scrapped so far, while another has entered service with leasing company Hi-Fly.

In November 2019, Air France became the second. The airline quietly took the plane out of service after a flight from Johannesburg to Paris. The airline previously announced it would retire its 10 A380s by 2022.

Through March and April 2020 as the COVID-19 pandemic has led to sharply reduced travel demand all around the world, numerous airlines grounded their A380 fleets, including Korean Air, Lufthansa, and Qantas. Other airlines have grounded most of the planes, electing to keep just one or two in service.

Air France decided to speed up its retirement of the fleet due to the pandemic, pulling them from service in May 2020, two years earlier than it had planned. It was the first airline to retire the plane type due to the pandemic.

Since Air France's A380 retirement, Germany-based Lufthansa has put its superjumbos into long-term storage. The airline said the planes would remain grounded unless there is an unexpected surge in travel demand.

Korean Air has also decided to retire the double-decker jet. CEO Walter Cho confirmed the fate of the A380 when he revealed the company would drop them within five years.

Source: FlightGlobal

Like Lufthansa, Abu Dhabi-based Etihad has put its A380s into storage, and, according to CEO Tony Douglas, does not expect them to fly again. With the loss of the jet, customers will no longer have access to the A380 exclusive cabin known as the "The Residence," which were flying apartments with three rooms, a butler, caviar, chauffeur service, and champagne.

While the pandemic has sped up the retirement of many airlines' A380s, some carriers have faith in the jet and do not plan on ditching it quite yet. In early 2021, Doha-based Qatar Airways said it was retiring half its superjumbo fleet, but has since backtracked on that decision.

Source: FlightPlan

Qatar CEO Akbar Al Baker said in an interview to FlightPlan in July that there was a small chance the company would bring back five of its A380s, even though he personally dislikes the jet. Al Baker said the A380 was Qatar's biggest mistake, and though there is a slight possibility the company will operate it again, it is not likely to survive long in the post-pandemic industry.

In addition to Qatar, All Nippon Airways has maintained its A380s, with two flying to Hawaii and a third having been delivered to the airline on paper, but still remains in the care of Airbus.

Source: aeroTelegraph

British Airways has also committed to the A380, having extended the jet's maintenance contract with Lufthansa Technik for another five years. CEO Sean Doyle confirmed the double-decker would be back despite the pandemic.

Source: Lufthansa Technik

China Southern has continued to operate the fleet during the pandemic, though the fate of the five-jet fleet is still uncertain. Guoxiang Wu, an executive at the airline, said the future of the A380 is under review even as it continues to fly.

Source: CAPA Live: Asia Aviation: Inspiring clear action for aviation growth

Qantas CEO Alan Joyce has confirmed the superjumbo will not be leaving the fleet, saying the A380 is the "perfect vehicle" for high-demand cities like Heathrow and Los Angeles.

Source: CNN

Singapore Airlines is shuttling its A380s back to Singapore from the Australian desert and expects them to return to service when demand increases. The airline has even invested in a new cabin for the jets, retrofitting them with new first-class suites and updated economy class seats and inflight entertainment.

Source: SimpleFlying

In September 2021, Emirates announced it would be receiving the final A380 aircraft from Airbus in November, with three total being delivered, completing its 118-A380 fleet.

The final A380s will have a 4-cabin configuration with Emirates' sophisticated Premium Economy section, complete with wide, spacious seats, a leg rest, and greater recline.

Even though the A380 program ends in 2021, and the first few have already been retired, the planes are expected to fly on for years to come. So, if you're still hoping to fly on one, you have plenty of time left.