A380 scrapes along in hope of revival.

Only twice in the first decade since the Airbus A380 entered service has the double-deck aircraft ended a year with its order backlog higher than that of the previous one. On both occasions, Middle Eastern carrier Emirates alone had spared the programme from recording a duck for the year. Emirates ordered 32 A380s in mid-2010 and – just eight days before the end of 2013 – signed for another 50 of the type. This year, Airbus has been forced to rely yet again on Emirates to provide a third jump-start to the A380 order book. The Dubai-based airline's agreement to take 20 more aircraft, sealed in February, effectively amounts to the first net increase in A380 orders for four years.