AIRBUS | A380 News & Discussion

[andysimo123]

A380- News/Events/Information
Heres a thread which i will update, if's there is any interesting or any big news.

A380 Customers so far

Air France: 10

Emirates: 43, including two freighters

Etihad Airways: 4

Federal Express: 10 freighters

International Lease Finance Corporation: five A380s and five A380 freighters

Korean Air Lines: 5

Lufthansa: 15

MAS: 6

Qantas Airways: 12

Qatar Airways: 2

Singapore Airlines: 10

Thai Airways International: 6

Virgin Atlantic Airways: 6

A380 Construction
The fourth A380 is currently under construction.

Testing
The first four of these aircraft are going to be tested.
Link to A380 testing tread
https://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=155204
Each of the four will have differnet interiors and will be tested over a 2 year period from May 2004. There will 2 A380 which will never fly and will be tested befour the first A380 takes off some time in 2005. Airbus will keep one aircraft which will be the first one to take off and will test it befour any go into service.

Other A380 theads

Airbus A-380 prototype engine
A380
A380 Airport Compatibility

[RafflesCity]

where is Etihad Airways from?

[huaiwei]

Here's a runup of the airframes/aircraft rolling off the production lines...

• 1st A380-841 will be used for A380 flight envelope, cockpit ops an flight control laws, sTLS #2 and #3 engines installed 29.10.04

• 2nd A380-841 for flight performance measurements, sTLS complete in primer 06.10.04

• 3rd A380-841 will be fitted with an cabinoutfit in addition of test equipment, sTLS primer 29.10.04

• 4th A380-841 for route proving flights (to be delivered to Singapore Airlines when completed)

• 5th A380-841 for Singapore Airlines

• 6th A380-841 for Singapore Airlines

• 7th A380-841 for Singapore Airlines

(c/n = construction number)

• c/n 8: A380-841 for Singapore Airlines

• c/n 9: A380-841 for (unknown, probably Emirates)

• c/n 10: A380-841 for Singapore Airlines

• c/n 11: A380-861 for Emirates

• c/n 12: A380-841 for Singapore Airlines

• c/n 13: A380-861 for Emirates

• c/n 14: A380-841 for Qantas Airways

• c/n 15: A380-841 for Qantas Airways

• c/n 16: A380-861 for Emirates

• c/n 17: A380-861 for Emirates

• c/n 18: A380-861 for Malaysian Airlines

• c/n 22: A380-800 for Malaysian Airlines

• c/n 35: A380F for Federal Express

[RafflesCity]

cool, so SIA will hopefully have some lead time over Emirates

[Nephasto]

In www.justplanes.com they say emirates made 45 orders instead of the 43 posted above, and that Korean Air made 8 orders, instead of 5.

[huaiwei]

The airbus site itself indicated a total of 129 planes on order, so the addition 5 in www.justplanes.com seems premature (or inaccurate)?

[huaiwei]

Originally Posted by RafflesCity

where is Etihad Airways from?

Oh btw...its (another) airline from the UAE. Sorry for missing that earlier.

[Nephasto]

Originally Posted by huaiwei

The airbus site itself indicated a total of 129 planes on order, so the addition 5 in www.justplanes.com seems premature (or inaccurate)?

Airbus has already announced the Ethiad order in the news section but it hasn't added it to the orders and deliveries board yet. Same happens for Thai order for example, if i'm not mistaken.
I don't know why...

[STR]

The A380 is only up to 134 orders? I think this thing might bomb.

just wait, there will definately be a need for this large a/c... especially for slot restricted conjested airports.

How did SQ pull off getting so many a/c delivered b4 emirates even though emirates ordered first?

[huaiwei]

Originally Posted by Nephasto

Airbus has already announced the Ethiad order in the news section but it hasn't added it to the orders and deliveries board yet. Same happens for Thai order for example, if i'm not mistaken.
I don't know why...

Nope...129 includes the orders by those two airlines. But it does not include the additional planes by Emirates and Korean air as mentioned above, hence I think it might be a factual error?

[Nephasto]

Originally Posted by huaiwei

Nope...129 includes the orders by those two airlines. But it does not include the additional planes by Emirates and Korean air as mentioned above, hence I think it might be a factual error?

Just check the list. They don't account the Thai orders for the 380 neither the ethiad ones.
It's also true that they haven't included the additional planes by emirates and korean air either.
That's why the say there are only 129 orders, when, in fact, that number is 144.

[huaiwei]

Originally Posted by Nephasto

Just check the list. They don't account the Thai orders for the 380 neither the ethiad ones.
It's also true that they haven't included the additional planes by emirates and korean air either.
That's why the say there are only 129 orders, when, in fact, that number is 144.

Hmm....yes you are right, now that I tried counting them again.

But are the additional orders by Emirates and Korean air accurate and verified?

[Nick in Atlanta]

One of the links in this thread was for a thread that showed images of the exterior of a completed A380 and potential luxurious interiors. I can't imagine any reasonable airline putting in those space wasteing interiors. I think that the A380 will be primarily used at full seating capacity. That includes a business class and a first class, too, because these classes are where the money is made for the airlines.

At full capacity, this plane will best be used for hub airports that are linking heavily populated areas. Hubs include Singapore, Dubai, Seoul and Heathrow. Singapore will service the enourmous populations of Indonesia, India, China and Southeast Asia at Changi in Singapore and then put them back on other flights to other heavily populated areas.

Dubai will do the same with the Indian subcontinent, with a transfer in Dubai, and then onto Europe's crowded airports.

Seoul will draw on North America with 747s and 777s and transfer these passengers to A380s going all over China, and vice versa.

London Heathrow will continue transferring passengers from North America, the Indian subcontinent, South Africa and continental Europe.

Some people don't think the A380 will be a success, I just wonder if Airbus will be able to make enough of them ten years from now, when the demand skyrockets.

[huaiwei]

You forgot to mention how Singapore is most likely going to use them to service the huge Australia-UK Kangaroo route via Singapore, although we have no idea if an airliner supporting that range non-stop and capacity requirement wll materialise in the next decade or so?

I do believe that airlines like SIA and perhaps Emirates may not pack their planes like sardines...especially for SIA. Its juts like the way SIA configured their A345s such that they are way below capacity, but increases the comfort level for each, and they indicated their intentions to do the same for the A380s? Emirates, in comparison, did maximise the use of their A340s, but given their love for luxury, and pitching themselves against SIA, I wont be surprised that they will take a similar strategy in sacrificing seats for amenities, all in the name of product diffrentiation.

[MVL318]

Some new images from the a380

[MVL318]

I can't wait to see it painted.

[andysimo123]

Well the latest news and infomation from the Airbus site is that the parts for upto the 10th aircraft are being made and put together. Three of the Aircraft are under going systems testing. The GE-Pratt&Whitney engine's are under going testing for it's engine certification due in 2005. The first fight with these engines will take place in early December 2005. Also the very first fight is to take place in early 2005 with the Rolls-Royce Trent 900 engine which you will all be glad to know.

[Nick in Atlanta]

I suppose that the individual airlines have the choice of whether they want the GE-Pratt&Whitney GP7200 or the Rolls-Royce Trent 900 engines. I wonder what the different characteristics are for two engines?

[huaiwei]

Hmm...have anyone wondered wats gonna happen if (touch wood) the plane fails to meet technical and performance expectations? I am kinda harbouring the possibilities of such issues everytime I look at A380 news and updates...it just keeps me riverted even more!