Further to this happy event ( always a happy event when a difficult
birth is finally finished )
Some bumph from a trade mag .
Although not a great scare bus fan at last some of these things are
going into revenue service and now only time will tell .
Pax's reaction to travel on these may be positive indeed extra room
in cattle class HAS to be a plus in my book
Fair dinkum fleet service will find and hopefully assist the factory
sort out any bugs -just like any other manufacturers
product.
Any way good luck to factory and initial operator with this new
hull.
World's first superjumbo delivered to Singapore Airlines
Airbus was to make the first delivery of its A380 superjumbo jet on
Monday to Singapore Airlines, with elation and relief expected at a
ceremony in southern France to mark the occasion.
The heads of both companies were expected to hail a major advance in
air travel as the A380, the world's biggest passenger plane, finally
leaves the company's factory in Toulouse after a difficult birth.
Delivery of the doubledecker plane is 18 months later than scheduled
because of a series of production problems that have embarrassed
Airbus and hit the plane maker's reputation among the world's
airlines.
The handover is therefore a symbolic moment for Airbus as the group
attempts to put its problems behind it, while Singapore Airlines will
at last be able to implement its vision for the plane.
Monday will be the first time the group has unveiled how the interior
of the the A380 will look, with the industry curious to find out which
features have been incorporated in the cabin.
The 73-metre-long (239-feet) two-storey giant can carry a maximum of
853 people in an all-economy set-up (525 in the normal three-class
configuration) and has 50 percent more floor space than the next
biggest aircraft, the Boeing 747-400 jumbo.
Singapore Airlines has requested about 470 seats in its planes,
promising even more spacious business and first-class travel and extra
leg room for economy flyers.
The first plane is to leave Airbus headquarters on Tuesday for
Singapore before making its maiden flight with passengers on board on
October 25 on a Singapore-Sydney route.
The plane will begin regular services on October 28.
Airbus has announced slips to the A380 schedule on three separate
occasions, principally down to complications with the wiring of the
more than 330 miles (530 kilometres) of cable in each aircraft.
Lack of cooperation between French and German engineers -- Airbus has
plants in Britain, France, Germany and Spain -- was partly to blame
and the group has since launched a severe restructuring plan with
10,000 job cuts expected.
The first delivery of the A380 comes a week after US rival Boeing
announced trouble with its flagship project, the new midsized 787
Dreamliner, which is now six months behind schedule.
The operational problems experienced by both Airbus and Boeing
demonstrate the complexity of the design, engineering and
manufacturing involved in modern airliners.
The A380 has been at the source of most of Airbus's problems in the
last two years, provoking management changes, financial losses and the
unpopular and politically-sensitive cost-cutting plan.
Most recently, the plane has been at the centre of an insider trading
scandal, with managers and key shareholders suspected of selling
shares in Airbus parent group EADS before the A380 production problems
were made public.
All those implicated have denied wrongdoing and a judicial
investigation is underway.
Sixteen airlines have placed firm orders for the A380, with Dubai-
based Emirates the leading client among a customer list that includes
predominantly Asian, European and Gulf-based carriers.
But beyond the hype about the size of the world's biggest passenger
jet some analysts doubt that the aircraft will ever make money.
The A380 is designed to satisfy expected demand from two types of
airline: those operating from hub airports such as Dubai, Singapore or
London, and others that have limited take-off slots at crowded
airports and want to maximise capacity.
Airbus has 180 firm orders and commitments to buy according to its
latest figures, but the group has admitted it must more than double
this figure for the project to be profitable.
Due to the delays and cost overruns, Airbus needs to sell 420 A380s at
catalogue prices to cover its costs -- up from 270 when the programme
was launched in 2000.
Given that catalogue prices are discounted, the final sales figure
needed for breakeven will be even higher than this.
Airbus claims the A380 will offer the lowest cost per passenger of any
airliner flying and will also emit less carbon dioxide per passenger
and significantly reduce noise at takeoff and landing.
But its giant size means that it requires modifications to airport
infrastructure, limiting the number of destinations it will be able to
fly to.
It is expected to serve longhaul routes linking airport hubs and major
cities such as Dubai, Doha, Johannesburg, London, New York, Singapore,
Sydney and Tokyo.
http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=071015054004.ckrvhwow&show_article=1
