A380 or B747X ?

[bochen2k]

Which jumbo jet do ya'll think will win the battle in the long run, the A380 or the B747? Personally I think the 747 looks better than A380.

[Notso Fantastic]

Isn't the A380 about 50% larger than the 747 in its highest capacity variant? The 747 will have to grow substantially to be in a 'like for like' contest. Whilst Boeing have been wasting time and money fiddling around with Sonic Cruisers without actually building anything, Airbus seems to be stealing the show. Maybe Boeing has all along had something up its sleeve, if so better pull it out soon! But the 747 is now a 35 year old design and must be reaching the end of its life cycle, love it like I do. Reliable though 2 engine designs are these days, I can't help thinking maybe a lot is being asked of them and into the futurre. I don't think the answer is ever stretching designs more grotesquely. The 777 is having more than its fair share of ground collisions. I'm afraid the A380 is looking increasingly 'right'.

[Jet II]

In the long run the 380 will probably win but it could have problems in the short term. The 747 is such an old design that Boeing have recouped their design costs long ago and therefore will be in a position to severly undercut Airbus. (assumes both manufacturers are operating in a commercial way!)

The other main problem for the 380 is that its just so damn big. It does not fit into the present parking areas and terminal gates - the airport operators will need to spend big bucks to accomodate it. It will be fun to see the first time two 380's go tech and we have an extra 1000 pax sitting in the departure lounge.

As for Notso's comment on the damage to 777's - the 380 is an extra 20 meters wide (same length as 777-300) so expect to see more bumps on the ground in the future.

[Rabbit]

The A380 is designed to fit within the same 80m box that other large aircraft have to fit in and therefore will not cause many problems for airports designed to accommodate the standard box. The main problem is the number of pax they carry. Yes it is big just check out the full scale mock up of the fuselage at Toulouse.

Regarding success or not I believe that answer is already obvious as the A380 is well on the way to being the 2nd most successful commercial preproduction aircraft in history. With a few more orders it will hit this dizzy record by having the second highest order book before the first aircraft gets airborne.

Have a nice day