A380 Overweight?
There aree rumours that the A380 may have similar weight/range problems to the MD11 ... this from atwonline.com:
Airbus last week denied a report that it is struggling to lighten the A380 by up to
25 tonnes to meet the requirements of its future customers.
The report, which appeared on the website of French magazine Air & Cosmos, claimed that the A380's top engineers were called back from their holidays for an emergency meeting to find ways to reduce the plane's weight by 20-25 tonnes. "There was no emergency meeting and it's a lot less than 20 tonnes overweight," reacted an Airbus spokesperson, adding, "We will take the measures necessary to meet the customers' requirements." The A380 became heavier than initially planned when Airbus asked engine manufacturers GE-Pratt & Whitney Engine Alliance and Rolls-Royce to increase the diameter of the fans at the front of each engine to 116 in. in order to meet tougher noise regulations.