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Aviation glossary

End of production

Also: production end, line closure, final delivery

Manufacturing and maintenance

The point at which a manufacturer delivers the last example of a type and closes its assembly line, usually once the order backlog has run dry.

What it is

A type goes out of production when it no longer attracts enough orders to keep the line running, often because a more efficient successor has arrived. The closure is usually announced well in advance so that customers can complete their purchases and suppliers can wind down.

The end of production is not the end of the aircraft. Those already built go on flying for decades, and the manufacturer, as type certificate holder, remains responsible for supporting them and issuing service bulletins, and usually goes on supplying spare parts.

Two recent cases: Airbus delivered the last A380 to Emirates in 2021 after a little over 250 had been built, and Boeing handed over the final 747, a freighter for Atlas Air, in 2023, bringing the total to 1,574 over more than half a century.

On Vuelopedia

A model page gives the number of units built, a figure that is only settled once production ends.

Airbus A380 Boeing 747 Emirates

Related terms

Order backlogThe aircraft firmly ordered from a manufacturer but not yet delivered; it shows how many years of production lie ahead. Final assembly lineThe facility where the major sections of an aircraft, often built at other plants, are joined and its systems installed until it is ready to fly. Type certificateDocument in which an aviation authority declares that the design of an aircraft, engine or propeller model meets the applicable airworthiness requirements. Service bulletinDocument in which the manufacturer of an aircraft, engine or component recommends an inspection, improvement or modification to its operators. DeliveryThe handover of a new aircraft from its manufacturer to the customer, an airline or a lessor, after acceptance checks and final payment.
Whole glossary

Cite

To cite this page in academic work, an article or Wikipedia, choose the style and copy the reference. The access date is today.

This page was last updated on October 9, 2026

APA

Vuelopedia. (2026, October 9). End of production. Retrieved October 17, 2026, from https://vuelopedia.org/en/glossary/end-of-production

MLA

“End of production.” Vuelopedia, Fundación Poderia, 9 Oct. 2026, vuelopedia.org/en/glossary/end-of-production. Accessed 17 Oct. 2026.

Chicago

Vuelopedia. “End of production.” Fundación Poderia. Last modified October 9, 2026. https://vuelopedia.org/en/glossary/end-of-production.

Harvard

Vuelopedia (2026) End of production. Available at: https://vuelopedia.org/en/glossary/end-of-production (Accessed: 17 October 2026).

BibTeX

@misc{vuelopedia_en_glossary_end_of_production,
  author       = {{Vuelopedia}},
  title        = {{End of production}},
  publisher    = {Fundación Poderia},
  year         = {2026},
  date         = {2026-10-09},
  url          = {https://vuelopedia.org/en/glossary/end-of-production},
  howpublished = {\url{https://vuelopedia.org/en/glossary/end-of-production}},
  urldate      = {2026-10-17},
  note         = {Accessed 2026-10-17}
}

Wikipedia

{{cite web |url=https://vuelopedia.org/en/glossary/end-of-production |title=End of production |website=Vuelopedia |publisher=Fundación Poderia |date=2026-10-09 |access-date=2026-10-17 |language=en}}

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