Market Presence. The development of the B747-8I improved the operating economics of the type. Airbus indicated that the A380 currently offers a 15-20 percent efficiency improvement over the B747-400. The larger -8I made the differential much more marginal. Indeed, Boeing cited that the trip cost of the -8I over the A380 was some 25 percent less although the number of seats are fewer so the seat mile costs favor the A380. Yet even with over 400 B747-400s having been delivered there was little appetite for acquiring the B747-8I as a replacement with only Air China, Korean and Lufthansa ordering the type. Of the factors which would have helped to improve the values of the B747-8I, only the number of orders was likely to have an appreciable effect and these were not forthcoming. Compared to the B747-8I, the A380 appears to be a major success. Yet, values of both types collapsed.
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