A380's four-engine design now a commercial drawback, analysis says

The Airbus A380 entered commercial service in 2007. It is the largest passenger airliner ever built, with two full passenger decks, and seats more than 500 passengers in typical configurations.

Airlines first took on the superjumbo as a prestige aircraft, able to move large passenger volumes between the world's busiest airports. Less than two decades later, the design thinking that made the A380 stand out is described as its greatest commercial weakness, and the four-engine layout sits at the centre of that problem.