From November 98,
Airbus may ditch A3XX thrust reversers to slow down costs
AIRBUS INDUSTRIE is discussing with airlines a plan to remove the thrust reversers from its A3XX ultra-high capacity airliner design as part of efforts to further reduce the aircraft's direct operating costs.
Airlines have generally reacted favourably towards the idea of dropping the system from the outboard engines only, but remain cautious over scrapping them altogether, say manufacturing sources.
"Current planning envisages having thrust reversers on just the two inboard engines, and the justification for that is that, through improvements in efficiency, we can achieve a stopping distance that is similar to existing four-engined aircraft such as the A340 and 747," says Airbus. "We are looking at whether we need thrust reversers at all but no decision has been taken,"
the consortium confirms.
Dropping the thrust reversers would save a significant amount of weight and reduce engine-associated maintenance costs, says British Aerospace Airbus director of engineering, Jeff Jupp. These benefits, he points out, have to be
balanced against the increased brake wear that would occur during the landing run and the perceived safety implications.
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