European aircraft manufacturer Airbus will stop making its A380, the world's largest passenger aircraft.

The company will make its last deliveries of the aircraft in 2021. The decision comes after Emirates, the largest customer of the A380, reduced its order, as reported by the BBC.

While the final assembly of the 'superjumbo' takes place in Hamburg and Toulouse, Airbus UK makes the wings for the A380. The company employs 3000 people at Filton near Bristol, where wings are designed and supported, as well as 6,000 at its main wings factory at Broughton in Flintshire.

When Emirates took the decision to reduce its order from 162 to 123 aircraft, Airbus decided to stop production altogether once the order is complete in 2021.

Airbus said it would start discussions with partners about the 3,000 or so jobs potentially affected by the decision over the next three years.

It hasn't specified which jobs or locations would be affected. But increased production of its A320 and the new wide body order from Emirates would offer a number of new jobs within the company.

The A380, which had its first commercial flight in 2007, was popular with passengers, but was expensive and complication to build. Production was spread out over a number of different European locations.

Demand for the A380 dried up as the industry shifted away from larger planes in favour of smaller, wide-body jets.

At the outset, Airbus predicted it would make about 1,500 of the giant planes. In reality, it will have made just over 250 when it ends production.