The last set of wings for the final A380 superjumbo has left the Airbus facility in North Wales by barge, signalling the end of 13 years of wing production for this aircraft in Broughton (www.airbus.com).

The first A380 — powered by Rolls-Royce engines made in Derby — took off in 2007 and was heralded as ‘the future of air travel’.

With the huge wings too large to be transported by air, they were taken from Broughton by barge on the River Dee to Mostyn Port, before being transported by boat to the Airbus site in Toulouse for final assembly.

However, orders soon dried up for the aircraft, due to its price tag and rising fuel costs, and Airbus announced last February that the programme would be ended in 2021.

Plant bosses are now discussing what to do with the giant factory — one of the biggest manufacturing buildings in the UK — but it should not be empty for long, as backlogs in other aircraft programmes will see production rates increased.