Wirraway
17th Aug 2004, 16:28
Wed "The Australian"
Carried away on Airbus
By Steve Creedy, Aviation writer
August 18, 2004
FORGET the fast food outlets, bowling alleys, duty-free shops and in-flight casinos.
The reality of the new double-decker Airbus A380 superjumbo, due to land in Australia in 2006, will be more of what you get on every other aircraft: seats.
But they are likely to be wider and more spacious than existing seats with reduced operating costs that could mean cheaper tickets.
Airbus also says the plane will be significantly quieter and cleaner, reducing harmful emissions with a per-passenger fuel efficiency roughly equivalent to that of a small car.
The European manufacturer has already built its first test A380 and is planning a maiden flight for early next year.
While it still expects airlines to use some of the extra space for frills such as stand-up bars, larders, business centres and areas where passengers can socialise, a senior Airbus executive yesterday described some early claims about the plane as "imaginative".
Airbus customer affairs vice-president Alan Brown told a briefing in Sydney that he expected the 50 per cent extra floor space available on the A380 to translate into wider seats and aisles with more storage space.
Passengers on average would each get about 10 per cent more space, but each seat would cost the airline 15 per cent less to fly.
"The A380 will allow airlines both to make air travel more affordable by ordinary people and to offer their passengers a more relaxed and stress-free way to travel," he said.
Qantas has ordered 12 of the giant aircraft.
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Carried away on Airbus
By Steve Creedy, Aviation writer
August 18, 2004
FORGET the fast food outlets, bowling alleys, duty-free shops and in-flight casinos.
The reality of the new double-decker Airbus A380 superjumbo, due to land in Australia in 2006, will be more of what you get on every other aircraft: seats.
But they are likely to be wider and more spacious than existing seats with reduced operating costs that could mean cheaper tickets.
Airbus also says the plane will be significantly quieter and cleaner, reducing harmful emissions with a per-passenger fuel efficiency roughly equivalent to that of a small car.
The European manufacturer has already built its first test A380 and is planning a maiden flight for early next year.
While it still expects airlines to use some of the extra space for frills such as stand-up bars, larders, business centres and areas where passengers can socialise, a senior Airbus executive yesterday described some early claims about the plane as "imaginative".
Airbus customer affairs vice-president Alan Brown told a briefing in Sydney that he expected the 50 per cent extra floor space available on the A380 to translate into wider seats and aisles with more storage space.
Passengers on average would each get about 10 per cent more space, but each seat would cost the airline 15 per cent less to fly.
"The A380 will allow airlines both to make air travel more affordable by ordinary people and to offer their passengers a more relaxed and stress-free way to travel," he said.
Qantas has ordered 12 of the giant aircraft.
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