Singapore Airlines was the launch customer for the Airbus A380

Singapore Airlines will not renew the lease on its first Airbus A380 casting a further shadow over the future of the world’s largest jumbo jet.

The double-decker jet was launched in 2007, with Singapore Airlines the first customer.

However, the carrier has decided not to renew its ten-year lease on the plane when it expires in 2017.

The news comes after Airbus more than halved its delivery target for the A380.

This has again raised fears it could slip back to making a loss from the aircraft, which has been plagued by poor sales.

A Singapore Airlines spokesperson told the BBC: “Our first five A380s are on ten-year leases, with options to extend.

“The first expires in October 2017, and we have decided not to extend it.”

Singapore Airlines said decisions on the other four aircraft it presently has under lease would be made later.

The airlines, however, does have orders for five separate A380s with Airbus, which will start being delivered in the second half of 2017.

The A380 only began breaking even for Airbus last year.

In July, Airbus said it would still avoid losing money on the jet in 2017 with as few as 20 deliveries.