Airbus CEO Fabrice Brégier says the company is sharply reducing production of its double-deck A380 in response to current order intake. The European manufacturer booked orders for just three A380s last year and has added a further three so far this year.

Brégier described the move as a “prudent, proactive step”, underlining that the company was “keeping all options open to benefit from future A380 markets. Airbus remains convinced that, with passenger traffic doubling every 15 years, the A380 is the only solution for sustainable growth at congested airports.

Airbus says it reached breakeven at 27 aircraft deliveries in 2015 and that it would continue to improve the efficiency of its industrial system to achieve breakeven at 20 aircraft in 2017. Additional cost reduction initiatives have been identified to lower breakeven further.

Airbus has taken orders for a total of 319 A380s to date, of which 193 have been delivered, including 14 this year.