Posted by Stefan
The Airbus A380 is the world’s largest passenger airliner, yes, even larger than the Boeing 747 Jumbo Jet. The A380 weighs over 550 tonnes, has four Rolls-Royce Trent 900 engines and can carry up to 850 passengers.
With all of these features, you might be wondering just how much the Airbus A380 cost to build? Well, it certainly wasn’t cheap.
The Cost of the A380
Developing and creating an aircraft as large as the A380 was always going to be an expensive task for Airbus. As well as physically building the aircraft and the manual labour costs that came with it, the program would also demand a substantial amount of research and development. After all, no other manufacturer had ever produced a passenger airliner quite like it.
With the launch of the A380 program in 2000, the projected cost was roughly $11.3 billion. However, this figure continued to increase as the development continued.
In fact, the financial scale of the program increased so much, Airbus decided to stop releasing figures altogether. In 2016, it was estimated that the Airbus A380 program cost anywhere between $25-30 billion. During production of the double-decker quad jet, it’s estimated that an Airbus A380 would set you back roughly $445 million.
Although airlines such as Emirates and Etihad are massive proprietors of the A380, Airbus announced that production would end in 2021. As of June 2022, there were 239 A380’s in service, with 16 operators worldwide. The $25 billion predicted investment might not have been re-cooperated, but it remains an iconic airliner, nonetheless.
Fun Facts About the Airbus A380
Even though the Airbus A380 cost $445 million, it still remains a fantastic engineering achievement that shows how far we’ve come since the days of the Wright Brothers and their little wooden plane.
So, here are some fun facts about the aircraft that you may not have previously heard:
- The cargo hold of an A380 can carry up to 3,000 suitcases, as it has two loading belts (one at the front and one at the back)
- On A380’s, a fully stocked bar with onyx countertops on the upper decks are a common feature. However, you can also grab yourself a First-Class suite on Emirates and Etihad A380s, which offer full-size double beds and fully functional showers
- The Airbus A380’s engines are one of its most distinctive factors. Made by either Rolls-Royce in the UK, or Engine Alliance in the United States, the four engines on the airliner can lift the airplane’s maximum take-off weight of 650 tonnes to cruising altitude, in just 15 minutes. Yet, as impressive as they are, this does mean the A380 requires more fuel than twin-engine jets
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