On the argument of the Hyperjumbo's business case:
As I said, I'm not here to argue about the marketability of such aircraft in today's economic climate. I think the A380 is overkill for most airlines except Emirates who seem to never be satisfied with the size of their aircraft. I was just curious about how big we can build airplanes with today's technology and standards.
On the argument of how airports will cope with the aircraft:
This would depend from airport to airport and how airport authorities are willing to accept this aircraft, which I believe boils down to the market demand for this aircraft, which is not the aim of this analysis. If there's a sudden change in the economic climate and an aircraft this size will be in hot demand, I think airport authorities will be more than willing to take action.
Renovating (which airports do all the time anyway) to make bigger pre-departure halls, immigration stands, baggage claim areas, etc. is not going to "rewrite airport infrastructure rules". Maybe in today's most modern airports, the biggest modification they will make is adding a 4th jetway that can reach the 3rd deck and that's it.
Some good points pointed out:
1. Pavement strength. I'm not too familiar with airport pavement standards. Is there a way around this with more wheels perhaps? Or, different landing gear configuration? I know Airbus made a variant of the A320 with 4-wheel bogies instead of two for it to be able to operate in weaker pavements.
2. Human aspect. It maybe true this aircraft may experience more diversions due to emergencies involving passengers going crazy or other health reasons. Is there an acceptable number regarding this. If so, how can this be improved?
Also, with so many passengers, how can they evacuate in an emergency? With slides of course!
Airbus did a
study on how evacuation on the upper deck is compared to the lower deck. And the findings show that passengers on the upper deck may hesitate more. This could be a big blow to the design but we'll never know until more testing is conducted. Also the upper deck slides might need an upgrade to cope with the size. Possible solutions could be a slide design with taller handrails so exiting passengers feel more "cradled" upon sliding.