2 things : When the A380 was launched , in addition to economics, there was also a strategic vision to take Boeing head on in the juicy top end ( i.e 747) market. I remember the main argument at the time was "offering a full range of aircraft from 100 to 1000 seats " The Political will was not to leave the US alone in that segment. That part worked very well.
Second, I was told the A380 was not developped for the European and US market but mainly for the hubs in Asia and in the Gulf. The " failure" now if you can call it that way, is that the Asians did not bite (yet) . But the show is not over , the fat lady(ies) did not sing yet.
Last edited by ATC Watcher; 17th Dec 2014 at 05:51.
Reason: typos