... and single-handedly keeps Airbus in business ... and the A380 flying. That seriously skews the customer/manufacturer relationship....
Well, Airbus wasn't gonna go under if they didn't sell any more A380s. But they were going to have to shut down the line. Ben Rich argued in Skunk Works that "customer/manufacturer" is a ruse when dealing with large contracts anyway. He pointed out that the US government apportions large aircraft contracts on a round robin arrangement; Rockwell didn't get to sell the B-1 because it was a good plane but because it was Rockwell's turn. Northrup got to make the B-2 because they missed out on the B-1 etc. Much of our aid to Saudi Arabia was in the form of "you're going to buy 80 F-16s because General Dynamics needs to sell 80 F-16s."