A 380 (Merged)
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The main limitation is wingspan. 79,8 m for A380, versus 64,4 m for B747-400 or 59,6 m for B747-200 and B747SP, which the 380 buyers probably had before.
Can you list airports where 747 can fly, but A380 plainly cannot?
Can you list airports where 747 can fly, but A380 plainly cannot?
PPRuNe Engineering Dept Apprentice
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A380 Private Jet: Airbus gets an order.
First Buyer For the Airbus A380 'Flying Palace'
It seems someone's shelled out to get a bigger private plane than Air Force One.
Why am I reminded of Die Another Day?
It seems someone's shelled out to get a bigger private plane than Air Force One.
Why am I reminded of Die Another Day?
BBC - UPS threat to cancel A380 order
United Parcel Service (UPS) has signed a new agreement with Airbus that changes the delivery dates for the ten A380 aircraft it has ordered. The new agreement allows UPS to cancel its order if there are any more delays.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/6390269.stm
JAS
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/6390269.stm
JAS
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A380 cancellations
From (Reuters) - Friday 2nd March
"Troubled Airbus suffered its second blow in a week on Friday when the last customer for the freight version of its A380 superjumbo dropped the aircraft maker, days after it announced it was cutting 10,000 jobs. "
In addition the Fin Review has a report re the rising anger in the French aerospace unions ( union president declared the culling of 10000 jobs "an act of war" ) and their decision to call a halt to the production line.
Got to make the taxpayers of the various consortium countries worried.
"Troubled Airbus suffered its second blow in a week on Friday when the last customer for the freight version of its A380 superjumbo dropped the aircraft maker, days after it announced it was cutting 10,000 jobs. "
In addition the Fin Review has a report re the rising anger in the French aerospace unions ( union president declared the culling of 10000 jobs "an act of war" ) and their decision to call a halt to the production line.
Got to make the taxpayers of the various consortium countries worried.
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I suppose it would not be unreasonable to expect a big order from Boeing on the heels of this cancellation. Maybe 747-800's? The A380 programme will be lucky to survive this, even despite the sales to date of the passenger version, which apart from Qantas' top up order, have been few and far between. Should be an interesting year!
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Since when did all sales have to be before an aircraft goes into service?
Are you saying that all the 747s being delivered today, and since 1969, were ordered in the 1960s?
Are you saying that all the 747s being delivered today, and since 1969, were ordered in the 1960s?
Prof. Airport Engineer
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Goodness me - what a load of codswallop in this thread. This was a win-win deal. That means, for the journalists, both sides won with the cancellation.
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Whitehatter and Overrun, I am not pushing any particular agenda here, just reporting the news. The French newspapers are already up in arms re the taxes being poured into EADS. This latest news will only add red to an end of fiscal year figures already with a tinge of red in them prior to this announcement, not to mention penalty payments due late deliveries which have not been made public.
If you feel an affinity for the product then good for you.....I have jumpseated on them many times (I fly the 747) and am impressed with some of the modes available that we do not have... but to dismiss such news as codswallop is putting your head in the sand and that is plain dumb.
If you feel an affinity for the product then good for you.....I have jumpseated on them many times (I fly the 747) and am impressed with some of the modes available that we do not have... but to dismiss such news as codswallop is putting your head in the sand and that is plain dumb.
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Excuse me if I've got the wrong end of the stick, but it doesn't half sound like people like Col Klink are DYING for Airbus to fail! Do they realise the effect this could have on thousands of livelihoods globally? This includes citizens in nations on both sides of the Boeing/Airbus axis as it is not the case that only US companies supply Boeing and European companies supply Airbus. "My airline manufacturer's bigger than your airline manufacturer" arguments appear childish and at the very least spoil reasoned debate on this thread and many others. Sheesh! 
Just an observation, carry on....
Just an observation, carry on....
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Thank you EGBM saved me the effort.....As one of those currently caught up in this I find it particularly distasteful to see anti AB comments. There are many families that rely on income from jobs generated by AB. A little more thought before spouting forth with no real knowledge wouldn't go amiss.
Rebel PPRuNer
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If Airbus not building freighters lets get on with designing an A380-900 which can at worst match the A388 on wake vortex and noise some airlines might be happy at this development.
Ecce Homo! Loquitur...
Flight International: Red-hot A380 completes heavyweight brake tests
The Airbus A380 has completed the last major test required for its full certification - the potentially hazardous maximum energy rejected take-off (RTO) demonstration - which Airbus describes as a "non-event".......
To comply with the certification requirements, the aircraft, which was equipped with 90% worn brakes, completed a 5km (3 miles) taxi during which it made four stops - one to simulate the higher residual idle thrust of the Engine Alliance GP7200-powered aircraft....
With an all-up weight of 575t - 6t above the current 569t maximum take-off weight offered for the A380 passenger version - the aircraft was accelerated down the runway to 166kt (307km/h) before being brought to a halt using spoilers and autobrake on the wheels, with the engines at idle. According to Rosay, Airbus did not have to shut down an engine as "there is no effect on the hydraulics".
The aircraft was stopped in a distance 20m (66ft) less than that calculated, says Rosay. "We were then required to taxi to the turn pad and wait 5min before any intervention is allowed. The fuse plugs enabled the tyres to begin deflating at around 3min as planned."...... Rosay says that by the 5min mark the tyres on all 16 braked wheels had deflated.
"We achieved 120mJ, slightly more than the target of 119mJ. At the end the brakes were pink," says Rosay, adding that everything performed as expected with no fire or damage to the aircraft.
Later in the day, the A380's wheels, brakes and tyres were replaced ahead of the ferry-flight back to Toulouse on 5 March.
The Airbus A380 has completed the last major test required for its full certification - the potentially hazardous maximum energy rejected take-off (RTO) demonstration - which Airbus describes as a "non-event".......
To comply with the certification requirements, the aircraft, which was equipped with 90% worn brakes, completed a 5km (3 miles) taxi during which it made four stops - one to simulate the higher residual idle thrust of the Engine Alliance GP7200-powered aircraft....
With an all-up weight of 575t - 6t above the current 569t maximum take-off weight offered for the A380 passenger version - the aircraft was accelerated down the runway to 166kt (307km/h) before being brought to a halt using spoilers and autobrake on the wheels, with the engines at idle. According to Rosay, Airbus did not have to shut down an engine as "there is no effect on the hydraulics".
The aircraft was stopped in a distance 20m (66ft) less than that calculated, says Rosay. "We were then required to taxi to the turn pad and wait 5min before any intervention is allowed. The fuse plugs enabled the tyres to begin deflating at around 3min as planned."...... Rosay says that by the 5min mark the tyres on all 16 braked wheels had deflated.
"We achieved 120mJ, slightly more than the target of 119mJ. At the end the brakes were pink," says Rosay, adding that everything performed as expected with no fire or damage to the aircraft.
Later in the day, the A380's wheels, brakes and tyres were replaced ahead of the ferry-flight back to Toulouse on 5 March.
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A380 to go on US tour
Airbus sends A380 on U.S. goodwill flight
Bid for contracts: Plane maker badly needs moral, financial lift
Bill Rigby
Reuters
Friday, March 16, 2007
Airbus is suffering through financial losses and corporate turmoil due to delays.
NEW YORK - Airbus SA will fly its A380 superjumbo to the United States for the first time on Monday, hoping the world's largest passenger jet will catch on with American travelers and win over skeptical U.S. airlines.
The 555-seat, double-decker plane with a wingspan almost the length of an American football field has racked up 156 orders so far, but none from U.S. airlines, which usually prefer Boeing Co. planes.
Signing up a U.S. airline would be a huge financial and morale boost for Airbus, which is suffering through financial losses and corporate turmoil due to delays on the huge plane, which is set to enter service with Singapore Airlines Ltd. later this year.
Even though some industry executives expect the A380 to be successful, U.S. carriers are not seen ordering any time soon.
"It doesn't look like there's anything's stirring," said Paul Nisbet at aerospace specialists JSA Research. "The timing is too early. Maybe 10 years from now it'll be in its heyday."
Airbus, owned by European aerospace group EADS, did not return a call seeking comment.
The massive plane, which needs special equipment to unload passengers, is significantly bigger than the biggest plane on Boeing's drawing board -- the stretched 747-8 "Intercontinental" jumbo, with 467 seats.
The two planes have a flight range of about 8,000 nautical miles (15,000 kilometers), but Airbus is touting better economics with the extra seats and improved fuel efficiency.
Still, U.S. airlines -- which have moved toward smaller planes for international routes in recent years such as Boeing's 777 mini-jumbo and its planned mid-sized 787 "Dreamliner" -- have shown no interest so far.
Just recovered from a five year slump after the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, the carriers are only now set to modernize their fleets but are unwilling to bet on the untested giant.
The plane is poorly suited for the routes of U.S. carriers, is too big, and has too many seats, US Airways Group Inc. President Scott Kirby said at the airline's media day on Wednesday.
The airline, one of Airbus' best U.S. customers, seems to represent the feelings of most of its rivals.
"American has never expressed any interest in the A380," said Tim Wagner, a spokesman for AMR Corp.'s American Airlines, the world's biggest airline.
The plane does not fit with American's plan to focus on the business-class market on its Asian routes, said Wagner.
The one ray of light for Airbus in the U.S. is International Lease Finance Corp. (ILFC), the world's largest plane lessor and one of the most influential plane buyers, which has 10 A380s on order.
"We believe there's still a market for that airplane," said John Plueger, ILFC's chief operating officer, in an interview last month.
"The industry will face mounting infrastructure limitations," said Plueger. "It just means planes will get bigger. We've known that for many years."
International air traffic will grow about 5.6 percent annually over the next few years, according to the International Air Transport Association. At that rate, global traffic will double by 2020.
http://www.canada.com/nationalpost/f...1-8796584fb7e7
Bid for contracts: Plane maker badly needs moral, financial lift
Bill Rigby
Reuters
Friday, March 16, 2007
Airbus is suffering through financial losses and corporate turmoil due to delays.
NEW YORK - Airbus SA will fly its A380 superjumbo to the United States for the first time on Monday, hoping the world's largest passenger jet will catch on with American travelers and win over skeptical U.S. airlines.
The 555-seat, double-decker plane with a wingspan almost the length of an American football field has racked up 156 orders so far, but none from U.S. airlines, which usually prefer Boeing Co. planes.
Signing up a U.S. airline would be a huge financial and morale boost for Airbus, which is suffering through financial losses and corporate turmoil due to delays on the huge plane, which is set to enter service with Singapore Airlines Ltd. later this year.
Even though some industry executives expect the A380 to be successful, U.S. carriers are not seen ordering any time soon.
"It doesn't look like there's anything's stirring," said Paul Nisbet at aerospace specialists JSA Research. "The timing is too early. Maybe 10 years from now it'll be in its heyday."
Airbus, owned by European aerospace group EADS, did not return a call seeking comment.
The massive plane, which needs special equipment to unload passengers, is significantly bigger than the biggest plane on Boeing's drawing board -- the stretched 747-8 "Intercontinental" jumbo, with 467 seats.
The two planes have a flight range of about 8,000 nautical miles (15,000 kilometers), but Airbus is touting better economics with the extra seats and improved fuel efficiency.
Still, U.S. airlines -- which have moved toward smaller planes for international routes in recent years such as Boeing's 777 mini-jumbo and its planned mid-sized 787 "Dreamliner" -- have shown no interest so far.
Just recovered from a five year slump after the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, the carriers are only now set to modernize their fleets but are unwilling to bet on the untested giant.
The plane is poorly suited for the routes of U.S. carriers, is too big, and has too many seats, US Airways Group Inc. President Scott Kirby said at the airline's media day on Wednesday.
The airline, one of Airbus' best U.S. customers, seems to represent the feelings of most of its rivals.
"American has never expressed any interest in the A380," said Tim Wagner, a spokesman for AMR Corp.'s American Airlines, the world's biggest airline.
The plane does not fit with American's plan to focus on the business-class market on its Asian routes, said Wagner.
The one ray of light for Airbus in the U.S. is International Lease Finance Corp. (ILFC), the world's largest plane lessor and one of the most influential plane buyers, which has 10 A380s on order.
"We believe there's still a market for that airplane," said John Plueger, ILFC's chief operating officer, in an interview last month.
"The industry will face mounting infrastructure limitations," said Plueger. "It just means planes will get bigger. We've known that for many years."
International air traffic will grow about 5.6 percent annually over the next few years, according to the International Air Transport Association. At that rate, global traffic will double by 2020.
http://www.canada.com/nationalpost/f...1-8796584fb7e7
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Interest and Curiosity only.
You might say that the A380 tour is just like that of the Concorde decades ago, when it was introduced to the World and then finally making her way to the States with loads of fanfare and hype...but no sale! Just bad timing (no pun intended)!
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Further, it looks like it's still a tad on the fat side (and Tim Clark's clearly still not a happy customer):
Emirates Says A380 Overweight, Operating Costs Higher (Update3)
2007-03-15 13:14 (New York)
(Adds Clark's comments starting in seventh paragraph.)
By Emmet Oliver and Andrea Rothman
March 15 (Bloomberg) -- Emirates, the largest customer for Airbus SAS's A380, said the superjumbo aircraft is still overweight, adding to operating costs, and that it will seek compensation from the European planemaker.
“It will be six tons overweight from its original specifications” Tim Clark, president of Emirates, said in an interview today in London. “This is obviously going to mean more fuel burn.”
Emirates has 45 of the A380s on order and will take delivery of the first plane next year, 21 months behind schedule, because of manufacturing delays at Airbus. The Toulouse, France-based planemaker lost money last year for the first time because of the delays and expects to report a loss in 2007 as well.
“It will be an amount that is not insignificant,” Clark said of the higher A380 operating costs. “Airbus will come to the table on this. It will be negotiated.”
A spokeswoman for Airbus countered that the plane is meeting performance guarantees even if its maximum takeoff weight is 1 percent over the specification, which was set at 569
metric tons.
“Nothing has changed with regard to the weight of the A380 for the past three years,” spokeswoman Barbara Kracht said in a telephone interview from Airbus headquarters in Toulouse, France. “Flight test results have demonstrated we are meeting the guaranteed performance.”
The priority for A380 customers should be delivery of the aircraft more than compensation for earlier delays, said Clark.
“Get the damn thing out, get people flying in it,” he said.
There is a ``convergence'' between Airbus and Emirates on the compensation issue so timing is not a significant concern, Clark said.
“We're not going to go bankrupt because we don't have the penalties,” he said. “It will end up in a resolution to the satisfaction of all of us.”
Shares of Airbus parent European Aeronautic, Defence & Space Co. rose 29 cents, or 1.4 percent, to 21.75 euros at the close of trading in Paris. The stock has fallen 32 percent over the last 12 months.
Emirates Says A380 Overweight, Operating Costs Higher (Update3)
2007-03-15 13:14 (New York)
(Adds Clark's comments starting in seventh paragraph.)
By Emmet Oliver and Andrea Rothman
March 15 (Bloomberg) -- Emirates, the largest customer for Airbus SAS's A380, said the superjumbo aircraft is still overweight, adding to operating costs, and that it will seek compensation from the European planemaker.
“It will be six tons overweight from its original specifications” Tim Clark, president of Emirates, said in an interview today in London. “This is obviously going to mean more fuel burn.”
Emirates has 45 of the A380s on order and will take delivery of the first plane next year, 21 months behind schedule, because of manufacturing delays at Airbus. The Toulouse, France-based planemaker lost money last year for the first time because of the delays and expects to report a loss in 2007 as well.
“It will be an amount that is not insignificant,” Clark said of the higher A380 operating costs. “Airbus will come to the table on this. It will be negotiated.”
A spokeswoman for Airbus countered that the plane is meeting performance guarantees even if its maximum takeoff weight is 1 percent over the specification, which was set at 569
metric tons.
“Nothing has changed with regard to the weight of the A380 for the past three years,” spokeswoman Barbara Kracht said in a telephone interview from Airbus headquarters in Toulouse, France. “Flight test results have demonstrated we are meeting the guaranteed performance.”
The priority for A380 customers should be delivery of the aircraft more than compensation for earlier delays, said Clark.
“Get the damn thing out, get people flying in it,” he said.
There is a ``convergence'' between Airbus and Emirates on the compensation issue so timing is not a significant concern, Clark said.
“We're not going to go bankrupt because we don't have the penalties,” he said. “It will end up in a resolution to the satisfaction of all of us.”
Shares of Airbus parent European Aeronautic, Defence & Space Co. rose 29 cents, or 1.4 percent, to 21.75 euros at the close of trading in Paris. The stock has fallen 32 percent over the last 12 months.
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Do a search on Google news about the introduction of the 747. You'll find all the same comments, rumours, speculation, worrying.
It seems that aircraft change but people don't. No wonder Europe lags behind the best emerging economies, what a bunch of sceptical backward thinking farmers you lot are (and yes I am European - not American).
It seems that aircraft change but people don't. No wonder Europe lags behind the best emerging economies, what a bunch of sceptical backward thinking farmers you lot are (and yes I am European - not American).
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A380 in USA
A380 lands in United States for the first time
By Aimée Turner
The US John F. Kennedy International Airport today (19 March) welcomed the A380 as Lufthansa and European airframer Airbus completed the first ever commercial route proving exercise for the new aircraft.
The route-proving flight with 519 passengers and 26 Lufthansa flight attendants took 35 minutes to board and left Frankfurt at its scheduled departure time of 9:00am from the hub airports 25R runway.
The route proving programme assesses facilities for check-in, boarding, deboarding, fuelling, ground service equipment, catering, inflight entertainment and onboard climate.
The findings will allow ultimatelly an airline operator to draw up A380 scheduled service timetables on the basis of operational forecasts gained from route-proving.
The flights route passed over Cologne, Amsterdam, the North Sea, Manchester, Dublin, Shannon before heading out over the North Atlantic on an average latitude of 52 degrees north. It then followed the Canadian coastline before passing over Bangor and proceeding to its final destination.
Due to arrive at JFKs Terminal 1 at 12:30pm (Eastern), the aircraft landed ahead of schedule at 12:14am and even had to reduce its speed to allow awaiting US television camera teams to prepare for the arrival.
Lufthansa began its first commercial route proving exercise on March 17 with the touchdown of the A380 at Frankfurt Airport. On March 20 it is scheduled to fly from New York to Chicago will return to New York on March 21 and return the same day to Frankfurt, landing on the morning of March 21.
On Friday 23 the aircraft will depart for Hong Kong, returning on Sunday March 25 at around 15.10 where Lufthansa will attempt a two hour turnaround before the aircraft departs for Washington.
On March 27 it will return to Frankfurt where it will complete further ground tests before visiting Munich and then onwards to Toulouse.
Four Lufthansa flight captains navigated the wide-body jet together with two Airbus test pilots - the first line pilots to be qualiified to fly the A380.
Lufthansa has a total 15 A380s on order plus five options. The airline will receive its first aircraft in summer 2009 with deliveries due to be completed in 2015. Every tenth A380 manufactured will be delivered to Lufthansa making it the largest A380 operator in Europe.
By Aimée Turner
The US John F. Kennedy International Airport today (19 March) welcomed the A380 as Lufthansa and European airframer Airbus completed the first ever commercial route proving exercise for the new aircraft.
The route-proving flight with 519 passengers and 26 Lufthansa flight attendants took 35 minutes to board and left Frankfurt at its scheduled departure time of 9:00am from the hub airports 25R runway.
The route proving programme assesses facilities for check-in, boarding, deboarding, fuelling, ground service equipment, catering, inflight entertainment and onboard climate.
The findings will allow ultimatelly an airline operator to draw up A380 scheduled service timetables on the basis of operational forecasts gained from route-proving.
The flights route passed over Cologne, Amsterdam, the North Sea, Manchester, Dublin, Shannon before heading out over the North Atlantic on an average latitude of 52 degrees north. It then followed the Canadian coastline before passing over Bangor and proceeding to its final destination.
Due to arrive at JFKs Terminal 1 at 12:30pm (Eastern), the aircraft landed ahead of schedule at 12:14am and even had to reduce its speed to allow awaiting US television camera teams to prepare for the arrival.
Lufthansa began its first commercial route proving exercise on March 17 with the touchdown of the A380 at Frankfurt Airport. On March 20 it is scheduled to fly from New York to Chicago will return to New York on March 21 and return the same day to Frankfurt, landing on the morning of March 21.
On Friday 23 the aircraft will depart for Hong Kong, returning on Sunday March 25 at around 15.10 where Lufthansa will attempt a two hour turnaround before the aircraft departs for Washington.
On March 27 it will return to Frankfurt where it will complete further ground tests before visiting Munich and then onwards to Toulouse.
Four Lufthansa flight captains navigated the wide-body jet together with two Airbus test pilots - the first line pilots to be qualiified to fly the A380.
Lufthansa has a total 15 A380s on order plus five options. The airline will receive its first aircraft in summer 2009 with deliveries due to be completed in 2015. Every tenth A380 manufactured will be delivered to Lufthansa making it the largest A380 operator in Europe.