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The Airbus A380 is a double-deck, wide-body,
four-engine jet airliner manufactured by the European corporation
Airbus. It is the world's largest passenger airliner; many airports have
had to upgrade their facilities to properly accommodate it because of
its size. Initially named Airbus A3XX, the aircraft was designed to
challenge Boeing's monopoly in the large-aircraft market; the A380 made
its first flight on 27 April 2005 and began commercial service in
October 2007 with Singapore Airlines.
The A380's upper deck extends along the entire length of the fuselage,
with a width equivalent to a wide-body aircraft. This allows for an
A380-800's cabin with 478 square metres (5,145.1 sq ft) of floor space;
49% more floor space than the next-largest airliner, the Boeing 747-8,
and provides seating for 525 people in a typical three-class
configuration or up to 853 people in all-economy class configurations.
The A380-800 has a design range of 15,700 kilometres (8,500 nmi; 9,800
mi), sufficient to fly from New York to Hong Kong, and a cruising speed
of Mach 0.85 (about 900 km/h or 560 mph at cruising altitude).
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As of March 2013, there had been 262 firm orders for the A380, of which
101 have been delivered. The largest order, for 90 aircraft, was from
Emirates. The 100th A380 was delivered to Malaysia Airlines.
Major structural sections of the A380 are built in France, Germany,
Spain, and the United Kingdom. Due to their size, traditional
transportation methods proved unfeasible, so they are brought to the
assembly hall (the Jean-Luc Lagardère Plant) in Toulouse in France by
specialized surface transportation, though some parts are moved by the
A300-600ST Beluga aircraft used in the construction of other Airbus
models. A380 components are provided by suppliers from around the world;
the four largest contributors, by value, are Rolls-Royce, Safran, United
Technologies and General Electric[20]
For the surface movement of large A380 structural components, a complex
route known as the Itinéraire à Grand Gabarit was developed. This
involved the construction of a fleet of roll-on/roll-off (RORO) ships
and barges, the construction of port facilities and the development of
new and modified roads to accommodate oversized road convoys. The front
and rear fuselage sections are shipped on one of three RORO ships from
Hamburg in northern Germany to the United Kingdom.[29] The wings are
manufactured at Filton in Bristol and Broughton in North Wales, then
transported by barge to Mostyn docks, where the ship adds them to its
cargo.
In Saint-Nazaire in western France, the ship trades the fuselage
sections from Hamburg for larger, assembled sections, some of which
include the nose. The ship unloads in Bordeaux. The ship then picks up
the belly and tail sections from Construcciones Aeronáuticas SA in Cádiz
in southern Spain, and delivers them to Bordeaux. From there, the A380
parts are transported by barge to Langon, and by oversize road convoys
to the assembly hall in Toulouse. The parts are not handled directly.
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After assembly, the aircraft are flown to Hamburg Finkenwerder Airport (XFW)
to be furnished and painted. It takes 3,600 L (950 US gal) of paint to
cover the 3,100 m2 (33,000 sq ft) exterior of an A380. Airbus sized the
production facilities and supply chain for a production rate of four
A380s per month.
The A380 was initially offered in two models. The A380-800 original
configuration carried 555 passengers in a three-class configuration or
853 passengers (538 on the main deck and 315 on the upper deck) in a
single-class economy configuration. In May 2007, Airbus began marketing
a configuration with 30 fewer passengers, (525 total in three classes),
traded for 370 km (200 nmi) more range, to better reflect trends in
premium class accommodation. The design range for the −800 model is
15,400 km (8,300 nmi);[104] capable of flying from Hong Kong to New York
or from Sydney to Istanbul non-stop. The second model, the A380F
freighter, would carry 150 tonnes of cargo 10,400 km (5,600 nmi).[105]
The freighter development was put on hold as Airbus prioritised the
passenger version and all cargo orders were cancelled. Future variants
may include an A380-900 stretch seating about 656 passengers (or up to
960 passengers in an all economy configuration) and an extended-range
version with the same passenger capacity as the A380-800.
The lack of engine noise—it's 50% quieter than a 747-400 on takeoff—was
downright eerie. The A380 is so big it's difficult to sense its speed,
and its upper deck is so far away from the engines the noise dissipates.
—Time magazine,
The A380's wing is sized for a maximum take-off weight (MTOW) over 650
tonnes in order to accommodate these future versions, albeit with some
strengthening required. The optimal wingspan for this weight would be
about 90 m, but airport restrictions limited it to less than 80 m,
reducing fuel efficiency about 10% and increasing operating costs a few
percent.The stronger wing (and structure) would be used on the A380F
freighter.
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The common wing design approach sacrifices fuel efficiency (due to a
weight penalty) on the A380-800 passenger model, but Airbus estimates
that the size of the aircraft, coupled with the uses of advanced
technology, will provide lower operating costs per passenger than the
747-400 and older 747 variants. The A380 also includes wingtip fences
similar to those found on the A310 and A320 to reduce induced drag,
increasing fuel efficiency and performance.
The cabin has features to reduce traveller fatigue such as a quieter
interior and higher pressurisation than previous aircraft; the A380 has
50% less cabin noise than the 747-400 and is pressurised to the
equivalent of 5,000 ft (1,500 m)(up to 41,000 ft (12,000 m)). The A380
has 50% more cabin area and volume, larger windows, bigger overhead
bins, and 60 cm (2.0 ft) extra headroom versus the 747-400. Seating
options range from 4-abreast in first class to 11-across in economy. On
other aircraft, economy seats range from 41.5 cm (16.3 in) to 52.3 cm
(20.6 in) in width, A380 economy seats are up to 48 cm (19 in) wide in a
10-abreast configuration;[161] compared with the 10-abreast
configuration on the 747-400 which typically has seats 44.5 cm (17.5 in)
wide.
The A380's upper and lower decks are connected by two stairways, fore
and aft, wide enough to accommodate two passengers side-by-side; this
cabin arrangement allows multiple seat configurations. The maximum
certified carrying capacity is 853 passengers in an all-economy-class
layout, Airbus lists the typical three-class layout as accommodating 525
passengers, with 10 first, 76 business, and 439 economy class seats.
Airline configurations range from Korean Air's 407 passengers to Air
Austral's 840 passengers. The A380's interior illumination system uses
bulbless LEDs in the cabin, cockpit, and cargo decks. The LEDs in the
cabin can be altered to create an ambience simulating daylight, night,
or intermediate levels. On the outside of the aircraft, HID lighting is
used for brighter illumination.
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Airbus' publicity has stressed the comfort and space of the A380
cabin,and advertised onboard relaxation areas such as bars, beauty
salons, duty-free shops, and restaurants.Proposed amenities resembled
those installed on earlier airliners, particularly 1970s wide-body jets,
which largely gave way to regular seats for more passenger capacity.
Airbus has acknowledged that some cabin proposals were unlikely to be
installed, and that it was ultimately the airlines' decision how to
configure the interior. Industry analysts suggested that implementing
customisation has slowed the production speeds, and raised costs. Due to
delivery delays, Singapore Airlines and Air France debuted their seat
designs on different aircraft prior to the A380.
Initial operators typically configured their A380s for three-class
service, while adding extra features for passengers in premium cabins.
Launch customer Singapore Airlines debuted partly enclosed first class
suites on its A380s in 2007, each featuring a leather seat with a
separate bed; center suites could be joined to create a double bed. A
year later, Qantas debuted a new first class seat-bed and a sofa lounge
at the front of the upper deck on its A380s. In late 2008, Emirates
introduced "shower spas" in first class on its A380s, along with a bar
lounge and seating area on the upper deck, and in 2009 Air France
unveiled an upper deck electronic art gallery. In addition to lounge
areas, some A380 operators have installed amenities consistent with
other aircraft in their respective fleets, including self-serve snack
bars,premium economy sections, and redesigned business class seating.
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