But the issue seems to be that the A350 and 773 are even more economical than the 744 and 748 - taking all ops and maintenance costs into account.
That is what the worlds airlines also seem to be deciding....with the 380 being mainly used for very high pax capacity applications as opposed to direct 1 for 1 744 replacements (as Airbus no doubt had hoped for).
Agreed.
But what the world's airlines might
not have accounted for is whether or not they can charge a premium to passengers, or at least certain specific market segments, for travel on the 748 and whether or not this is sufficient to cover the extra FOCs and DOCs.
Experience with the 380, e.g. SQ (not suites, but business), might suggest that they might get away with it.