Boeing killed the 747 and the all other 4 engine pax aircraft when they built the triple 7.. or rather the regulators did when they gave it 3 hours ETOPS... yet Airbus still went ahead with the whale... not a good looking aircraft by any standards, and was never going to compete with the 747 because it cant be converted into a freighter...it was never going to be a success, it might fly nice ( but how would a pilot know unless he turns off the playstation controlling it
!!! ) French arrogance ( or a few high high ups at AB) , pushed it though because they thought anything Boeing can do we can do worse, i mean better, and it has its time and place in history...... I bet all the city's and airport authorities who spent millions upgrading runways and terminals are thrilled they wasted all that cash