Airbus' plan to sell an A380 superjumbo fitted out as a "flying palace" has evaporated after the deal was discreetly cancelled.
The Toulouse, France-based manufacturer disclosed last week that the contract, placed in 2007, was dropped from the backlog late last year, reducing the total number of A380s ordered to 317.
The A380 was initially due to have been supplied to Saudi Arabia's Prince Alwaleed bin Talal, the world's 22nd-richest person with a fortune of US$28 billion ($37 billion), according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index.
Newly built examples of the model currently have a list price of US$428 million.
The A380 is still struggling to establish itself beyond a market focused on Dubai-based Emirates, which accounts for 44 per cent of superjumbo contracts.
