Airbus A380 was first unveiled as the A3XX concept and mocked, but the company ignored the critics and made an iconic aircraft

The Airbus A380 began life as the A3XX concept, with many people at the time thinking it was a pipe dream.

The idea of a huge double-decker jet struck some as overambitious, even absurd.

Despite the negative sentiments, Airbus pushed ahead anyway.

And in the end, they created something legendary.

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Many thought the Airbus A380 wouldn’t be viable

Back in the early 1990s, Airbus studied a ‘Very Large Commercial Transport’ (VLCT) concept with partners.

By 1994, they formally launched the A3XX project.

The goal was to challenge Boeing’s 747 dominance with something bigger, bolder, and more efficient.

Skeptics weren’t convinced; they were quick to mock the scale, the cost, and the risk.

After all, the size of the Airbus A380 was unlike any commercial plane ever developed.

How could any airline fill it, and even if they could, would the costs ever pay off?

But Airbus believed in it.

In December 2000, Airbus’s board approved the project under the name A380 (retiring the A3XX label) with about €9.5 billion ($10.7 billion) committed.

The first full prototype was unveiled in Toulouse, France, on 18 January 2005.

A few months later, on 27 April, that prototype flew for the first time.

From that moment, the doubters had to take notice.

The A380 could carry huge passenger loads: about 555 in a typical three-class layout, or up to 840 if focusing only on economy.

Its double-deck layout gave airlines more space per flight.

It was ambitious in materials too: Airbus used composites, advanced alloys, and innovations like the central wing box made of carbon fibre.

Emirates continues to fly more than a hundred A380s

But it wasn’t all smooth skies.

Production ran into delays, and the wiring in each aircraft was monstrously complex, with some 98,000 wires and 40,000 connectors necessary.

Airbus had trouble synchronizing software and design tools across factories.

Airline orders also came in slower than hoped, although airlines like Singapore Airlines placed early orders, and continue to fly the behemoths to this day.

The first commercial A380 went into service in October 2007, wowing passengers with quiet cabins, spacious interiors, and double-deck novelty.

Over time, though, trends shifted.

Airline economics favored smaller, more versatile jets, like the A321XLR.

Demand for the superjumbo slowed, and Airbus eventually decided to end A380 production.

Even though production has ended, it doesn’t mean you won’t see the iconic A380 anymore.

In particular, if you fly Emirates, there’s a good chance you’ll be on the A380, given that almost half its fleet continues to be comprised of the double-decker jet.

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