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Airbus A380

2007 Schools Wikipedia Selection. Related subjects: Air & Sea transport

                        Airbus A380
   Maiden flight of the A380
   Type          Airliner
   Manufacturer  Airbus S.A.S.
   Maiden flight 2005- 04-27
   Introduced    Planned for 2007 with Singapore Airlines
   Status        In flight testing
   Number built  Eight as of 2006
   Unit cost     US$ 296 - 316 million as of 2006

   The Airbus A380 is a double-deck, four-engined airliner manufactured by
   Airbus S.A.S. It first flew on April 27, 2005 from Toulouse in France.
   Commercial flights are scheduled to begin in 2007 after lengthy delays.
   During much of its development phase, the aircraft was known as the
   Airbus A3XX. The nickname Superjumbo has become associated with the
   A380.

   The A380's upper deck extends along the entire length of the fuselage.
   This allows for a spacious cabin with 50% more floor space than the
   next largest airliner, the Boeing 747-400, providing seating for 555
   people in standard three-class configuration or up to 853 people in
   full economy class configuration. Two models of the A380 are available.
   The A380-800, the passenger model, is the largest passenger airliner in
   the world, superseding the Boeing 747. The other launch model, the
   A380-800F, will be one of the largest freight aircraft and will have a
   payload capacity exceeded only by the Antonov An-225.

   The A380-800 has a maximum range of 15,000 kilometres (8,000 nmi,
   sufficient to fly from Chicago to Sydney nonstop), and a cruising speed
   of Mach 0.85 (about 900 km/h or 560 MPH at cruise altitude), similar to
   that of the Boeing 747.

History

Development

   The first completed A380 at the "A380 Reveal" event in Toulouse
   Enlarge
   The first completed A380 at the "A380 Reveal" event in Toulouse

   Airbus started the development of a very large airliner in the early
   1990s, both to complete its own range of products and to break the
   dominance that Boeing had enjoyed in this market segment since the
   early 1970s with its 747. McDonnell Douglas pursued a similar strategy
   with its ultimately unsuccessful MD-12 design. As each manufacturer
   looked to build a successor to the 747, they knew there was room for
   only one new aircraft to be profitable in the 600 to 800 seat market
   segment. Each knew the risk of splitting such a niche market, as had
   been demonstrated by the simultaneous debut of the Lockheed L-1011 and
   the McDonnell Douglas DC-10: either aircraft met the market’s needs,
   but the market could profitably sustain only one model, eventually
   resulting in Lockheed's departure from the civil airliner business. In
   January 1993, Boeing and several companies in the Airbus consortium
   started a joint feasibility study of an aircraft known as the Very
   Large Commercial Transport (VLCT), aiming to form a partnership to
   share the limited market.

   In June 1994, Airbus began developing its own very large airliner,
   designated the A3XX. Airbus considered several designs, including an
   odd side-by-side combination of two fuselages from the A340, which was
   Airbus’s largest jet at the time. The A3XX was pitted against the VLCT
   study and Boeing’s own New Large Aircraft successor to the 747, which
   evolved into the 747X, a stretched version of the 747 with the forebody
   "hump" extended rearwards to accommodate more passengers. The joint
   VLCT effort ended in July 1996, and Boeing suspended the 747X program
   in January 1997 – only to resurrect it several times before finally
   launching the 747-8 Intercontinental in November 2005. From 1997 to
   2000, as the East Asian financial crisis darkened the market outlook,
   Airbus refined its design, targeting a 15 to 20 percent reduction in
   operating costs over the existing Boeing 747-400. The A3XX design
   converged on a double-decker layout that provided higher seat
   capacities than a traditional single-deck design.

   On December 19, 2000, the supervisory board of newly restructured
   Airbus voted to launch a € 8.8 billion program to build the A3XX,
   re-christened as the A380, with 55 orders from six launch customers.
   The A380 designation was a break from previous sequential Airbus
   designations because the numeral 8 resembles the double-deck cross
   section, and symbolizes good luck in some Asian cultures. The
   aircraft’s final configuration was frozen in early 2001, and
   manufacturing of the first A380 wing box component started on January
   23, 2002. The development cost of the A380 had grown to € 11 billion
   when the first aircraft was completed.

Testing

   Flight test engineer's station on the lower deck of A380 F-WWOW at the
   2006 Farnborough International Airshow
   Enlarge
   Flight test engineer's station on the lower deck of A380 F-WWOW at the
   2006 Farnborough International Airshow
   A380 F-WWDD in Emirates Airline livery at the 2005 Dubai Airshow
   Enlarge
   A380 F-WWDD in Emirates Airline livery at the 2005 Dubai Airshow

   The first A380 prototype, serial number 001 and registration F-WWOW,
   was unveiled at a ceremony in Toulouse on January 18, 2005. Its maiden
   flight took place at 8:29 UTC (10:29 a.m. local time) April 27, 2005.
   The prototype, equipped with Trent 900 engines, departed runway 32L of
   Toulouse Blagnac International Airport with a flight crew of six headed
   by test pilot Jacques Rosay, carrying 22 short tons (20  metric tons)
   of flight test instrumentation and water ballasts. The take-off weight
   of the aircraft was 421 tonnes (464 short tons); although this was only
   75% of its maximum take-off weight, it was the heaviest take-off weight
   of any passenger airliner ever flown.

   In mid-November 2005 the A380 embarked on a tour of Southeast Asia and
   Australia for promotional and for long-haul flight testing purposes,
   visiting Singapore, Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne and Kuala Lumpur.
   During this tour, the colours of Singapore Airlines, Qantas and
   Malaysia Airlines were applied in addition to the Airbus house colours.
   On November 19, an A380 flew in full Emirates colours at the Dubai Air
   Show.

   On January 10, 2006, the A380 made its first transatlantic flight to
   Medellín in Colombia, to test engine performance at a high altitude
   airport. Its arrived in North America on February 6, when an A380
   landed in Iqaluit, Nunavut in Canada for cold-weather testing. The same
   aircraft then flew to Singapore to participate in the Asian Aerospace
   2006 exhibition, in full Singapore Airlines livery.

   On March 26, 2006, the A380 underwent evacuation certification in
   Hamburg in Germany. The test, performed to meet regulatory
   requirements, involved evacuating 853 passengers and 20 crew from the
   aircraft within 90 seconds, with 8 of the 16 exits blocked. The
   evacuation was successfully completed in 78 seconds. Three days later,
   the A380 received European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) and United
   States Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) approval to carry up to
   853 passengers, indicating that the evacuation trial had met their
   certification standards.

   Five A380s have been built for testing and demonstration purposes. The
   first A380 slated for delivery to a customer, serial number 003 and
   registration F-WWSA, took to the air in May 2006. The maiden flight of
   the first A380 with GP7200 engines (F-WWEA) took place on August 25,
   2006.

   On September 4, 2006 the first full passenger-carrying flight test took
   place. The aircraft flew from Toulouse with 474 Airbus employees on
   board, in the first of a series of flights to test passenger facilities
   and comfort. In November 2006, a further series of route proving
   flights took place to demonstrate the aircraft's performance for 150
   flight hours under typical airline operating conditions.

   As of November 2006, eight A380s have flown, and the five A380s in the
   test program have logged over 2,300 hours during 730 test flights.
   Airbus expects to obtain the A380 type certificate from the EASA and
   FAA by the end of 2006. During testing the A380 has visited 17
   countries,Australia, Canada, China, Colombia, Ethiopia, France,
   Germany, Iceland, Ireland, Japan, Malaysia, Singapore, South Africa,
   South Korea, Spain,United Arab Emirates and the United Kingdom.

Delivery delays

   Initial production of the A380 was plagued by a series of delays
   attributed to the 500 kilometres (300 miles) of wiring in each
   aircraft. Airbus cited as underlying causes the complexity of the cabin
   wiring, its concurrent design and production, the use of two
   incompatible versions of the CATIA computer-aided design software, the
   high degree of customisation for each airline, and failures of
   configuration management (wiring in one section will not plug correctly
   into wiring in another). Over 80% of the wiring is supplied by Labinal,
   although this company has not been blamed for the delays. Deliveries
   would be pushed back by nearly two years.

   Airbus announced the first delay in June 2005 and notified airlines
   that delivery would slip by six months, with Singapore Airlines
   receiving the first A380 in the last quarter of 2006, Qantas getting
   its first delivery in April 2007 and Emirates receiving aircraft before
   2008. This reduced the number of planned deliveries by the end of 2009
   from about 120 to 90-100.

   On June 13, 2006 Airbus announced a second delay, with the delivery
   schedule undergoing an additional shift of six to seven months.
   Although the first delivery was still slated before the end of 2006,
   deliveries in 2007 would drop to only 9 aircraft, and deliveries by the
   end of 2009 would be cut to 70-80 aircraft. The announcement caused a
   26% drop in the share price of Airbus's parent, EADS, and led to the
   departure of EADS CEO Noël Forgeard, Airbus CEO Gustav Humbert, and
   A380 program manager Charles Champion. In the wake of the new delay,
   Malaysia Airlines and ILFC were reported to be considering the
   cancellation of their orders. Launch customers Singapore Airlines,
   Emirates and Qantas also were reported to be angered by the delays and
   expecting compensation. However, on July 21, 2006 Singapore Airlines
   ordered a further 9 A380s and stated that Airbus had "demonstrated to
   our satisfaction that the engineering design for the A380 is sound [and
   that] it has performed well in flight and certification tests and the
   delays in its delivery have been caused more by production, rather than
   technical, issues."

   On October 3, 2006, upon completion of a review of the A380 program,
   the new CEO of Airbus, Christian Streiff, announced a third delay. The
   largest delay yet, it pushed the first delivery for Singapore Airlines
   to October 2007, to be followed by 13 deliveries in 2008, 25 in 2009,
   and the full production rate of 45 aircraft per year in 2010. The delay
   also increased the earnings shortfall projected by Airbus through 2010
   to € 4.8 billion. The customer with the largest A380 order, Emirates,
   saw its first delivery pushed back to August 2008 and said as a result
   that it was considering scaling back its order, potentially in favour
   of the rival Boeing 747-8. Virgin Atlantic deferred its deliveries by
   four years, to 2013. Initial deliveries for the A380 freighter were
   delayed into 2010. The third delay was followed by the first
   cancellation to hit the A380 program, as FedEx dropped its order for
   ten A380F freighters in favour of 15 Boeing 777F freighters.

Entry into service

   Singapore Airlines plans to use its first aircraft, in a 485-seat
   configuration, on its London–Singapore–Sydney (the kangaroo route)
   service. Subsequent routes for Singapore Airlines may include the
   Singapore– San Francisco route via Hong Kong, as well as direct flights
   to Paris and Frankfurt. Qantas has announced it will use the A380, in a
   501-seat configuration, on its Melbourne and Sydney to Los Angeles
   routes. Air France's aircraft will be used on the Paris to Montreal and
   New York routes.

Design

   A380 cabin cross section, showing economy class seating
   Enlarge
   A380 cabin cross section, showing economy class seating

   The new Airbus is sold in two models. The A380-800 can carry 555
   passengers in a three-class configuration or up to 853 passengers in a
   single-class economy configuration. The range for the -800 model is
   15,000 kilometres (8,000 nmi). The second model, the A380-800F
   freighter, will carry 150  tonnes of cargo 10,400 km (5,600 nmi).

   Future variants may include an A380-900 stretch seating about 650
   passengers, a shortened A380-700 seating about 455 passengers, and an
   extended range version with the same passenger capacity as the
   A380-800. The A380's wing is sized for a Maximum Take-Off Weight (MTOW)
   over 650 metric tonnes in order to accommodate these future versions,
   albeit with some strengthening required. The stronger wing (and
   structure) is used on the A380-800F freighter. This common design
   approach sacrifices some fuel efficiency on the A380-800 passenger
   model, but the sheer size of the aircraft, coupled with the significant
   advances in technology described below, are still expected to provide
   lower operating costs per passenger than all current 747 variants.

Cockpit

   Airbus used similar cockpit layout, procedures and handling
   characteristics to those of other Airbus aircraft, to reduce crew
   training costs. Accordingly, the A380 features an improved glass
   cockpit, and fly-by-wire flight controls linked to side-sticks.

   The improved cockpit displays feature eight 15-by-20 cm (6-by-8-inch)
   liquid crystal displays, all of which are physically identical and
   interchangeable. These comprise two Primary Flight Displays, two
   navigation displays, one engine parameter display, one system display
   and two Multi-Function Displays. These MFDs are new with the A380, and
   provide an easy-to-use interface to the flight management
   system—replacing three multifunction control and display units. They
   include QWERTY keyboards and trackballs, interfacing with a graphical "
   point-and-click" display navigation system.

Engines

   A Rolls-Royce Trent 900 engine on the wing of an Airbus A380.
   Enlarge
   A Rolls-Royce Trent 900 engine on the wing of an Airbus A380.

   Either the Rolls-Royce Trent 900 or Engine Alliance GP7200 turbofans
   may power the A380. Both are derived from predecessors ( GE90 and Trent
   800) available on the Boeing 777. The Trent 900 is the scaled version
   of the Trent 800, but incorporating the swept-back fan and
   counter-rotating spools of the stillborn Trent 8107. The GP7200 has a
   GE90-derived core and PW4090-derived fan and low-pressure
   turbo-machinery. Noise reduction was a driving requirement for the
   A380, and particularly affects engine design. Both engine types meet
   the stringent QC/2 departure noise limits set by London's Heathrow
   Airport, which is expected to become a key destination for the A380.

Advanced materials

   Composite materials make up 25% of the A380's airframe, by weight.
   Carbon-fibre reinforced plastic, glass-fibre reinforced plastic and
   quartz-fibre reinforced plastic are used extensively in wings, fuselage
   sections, tail surfaces, and doors. The A380 is the first commercial
   airliner with a central wing box made of carbon fibre reinforced
   plastic, and it is the first to have a wing cross-section that is
   smoothly contoured. Other commercial airliners have wings that are
   partitioned in sections. The flowing, continuous cross-section allows
   for maximum aerodynamic efficiency. Thermoplastics are used in the
   leading edges of the slats. The new material GLARE (GLAss-REinforced
   fibre metal laminate) is used in the upper fuselage and on the
   stabilizers' leading edges. This aluminium-glass-fibre laminate is
   lighter and has better corrosion and impact resistance than
   conventional aluminium alloys used in aviation. Unlike earlier
   composite materials, it can be repaired using conventional aluminium
   repair techniques.

   Newer weldable aluminium alloys are also used. This enables the
   widespread use of laser welding manufacturing techniques - eliminating
   rows of rivets and resulting in a lighter, stronger structure.

Avionics architecture

   The A380 employs an Integrated Modular Avionics (IMA) architecture,
   first used in advanced military aircraft such as the F-22 Raptor and
   the Eurofighter Typhoon. It is based on a commercial off-the-shelf
   (COTS) design. Many previous dedicated single-purpose avionics
   computers are replaced by dedicated software housed in onboard
   processor modules and servers. This cuts the number of parts, provides
   increased flexibility without resorting to customised avionics, and
   reduces costs by using commercially available computing power.

   Together with IMA, the A380 avionics are very highly networked. The
   data communication networks use Avionics Full-Duplex Switched Ethernet,
   following the ARINC 664 standard. The data networks are switched
   full-duplexed star-topology and based on 100baseTX fast-Ethernet. This
   reduces the amount of wiring required and minimizes latency.

   The Network Systems Server (NSS) is the heart of A380 paperless
   cockpit. It eliminates the bulky manuals and charts traditionally
   carried by the pilots. The NSS has enough inbuilt robustness to do away
   with onboard backup paper documents. The A380's network and server
   system stores data and offers electronic documentation, providing a
   required equipment list, navigation charts, performance calculations,
   and an aircraft logbook. All are accessible to the pilot from two
   additional 27 cm (11 inch) diagonal LCDs, each controlled by its own
   keyboard and control cursor device mounted in the foldable table in
   front of each pilot.

Systems

   Power-by-wire flight control actuators are used for the first time in
   civil service, backing up the primary hydraulic flight control
   actuators. During certain manoeuvres, they augment the primary
   actuators. They have self-contained hydraulic and electrical power
   supplies. They are used as electro-hydrostatic actuators (EHA) in the
   aileron and elevator, and as electrical backup hydrostatic actuators
   (EBHA) for the rudder and some spoilers.

   The aircraft's 350 bar (35 MPa or 5,000 psi) hydraulic system is an
   improvement over the typical 210  bar (21  MPa or 3,000  psi) system
   found in other commercial aircraft since the 1940s. First used in
   military aircraft, higher pressure hydraulics reduce the size of
   pipelines, actuators and other components for overall weight reduction.
   The 350 bar pressure is generated by eight de-clutchable hydraulic
   pumps. Pipelines are typically made from titanium and the system
   features both fuel and air-cooled heat exchangers. The hydraulics
   system architecture also differs significantly from other airliners.
   Self-contained electrically powered hydraulic power packs, instead of a
   secondary hydraulic system, are the backups for the primary systems.
   This saves weight and reduces maintenance.

   The A380 uses four 150 kVA variable-frequency electrical generators
   eliminating the constant speed drives for better reliability. The A380
   uses aluminium power cables instead of copper for greater weight
   savings due to the number of cables used for an aircraft of this size
   and complexity. The electrical power system is fully computerized and
   many contactors and breakers have been replaced by solid-state devices
   for better performance and increased reliability.

   The A380 features a bulbless illumination system. LEDs are employed in
   the cabin, cockpit, cargo and other fuselage areas. The cabin lighting
   features programmable multi-spectral LEDs capable of creating a cabin
   ambience simulating daylight, night or shades in between. On the
   outside of the aircraft, HID lighting is used to give brighter, whiter
   and better quality illumination. These two bulbless technologies
   provide brightness and a service life superior to traditional
   incandescent light bulbs.

   The A380 was initially planned without thrust reversers, as Airbus
   believed it to have ample braking capacity. The FAA disagreed, and
   Airbus elected to fit only the two inboard engines with them. The two
   outboard engines do not go into reverse, to reduce the amount of debris
   blown up during landing. The A380 features electrically actuated thrust
   reversers, giving them better reliability than their pneumatic or
   hydraulic equivalents, in addition to saving weight.

Passenger amenities

   Initial publicity stressed the comfort and space of the A380's cabin,
   which offers room for such installations as relaxation areas, bars,
   duty-free shops, and beauty salons. One A380 customer likely to use
   innovative amenities is Virgin Atlantic Airways, which has a bar in
   Business Class on its aircraft, and has announced plans to include
   casinos, double beds, a gymnasium and showers on its A380s.

   The A380 will expand the improvements that the 747 made — more seats
   and lower seat-distance costs — while providing wider seats and better
   amenities. At 555 passengers, the A380's seating capacity represents a
   35% increase over the 747-400 in a standard three-class configuration,
   along with a nearly 50% larger cabin volume — producing more space per
   passenger. If, however, the plane is ordered in an all-economy-class
   configuration, it can hold up to 853 passengers, its maximum certified
   carrying capacity.

Airport compatibility

   The A380 was designed to fit within an 80 x 80 m airport gate, and can
   land or take off on any runway that can take a Boeing 747. However,
   airports used by the A380 in commercial service may need infrastructure
   modifications. Its large wingspan can require some taxiway and apron
   reconfigurations, to maintain safe separation margins when two of the
   aircraft pass each other. Taxiway shoulders may be required to be paved
   to reduce the likelihood of foreign object damage caused to (or by) the
   outboard engines, which overhang more than 25 m (80 ft) from the centre
   line of the aircraft. Any taxiway or runway bridge must be capable of
   supporting the A380's maximum weight. The terminal gate must be sized
   such that the A380's wings do not block adjacent gates, and may also
   provide multiple jetway bridges for simultaneous boarding on both
   decks. Service vehicles with lifts capable of reaching the upper deck
   must be obtained, as well as tractors capable of handling the A380's
   maximum ramp weight.

   The A380 test aircraft have begun a campaign of airport compatibility
   testing, to verify the modifications already made at several large
   airports. To date, the airports visited for compatibility testing
   include Brisbane, Frankfurt, Hong Kong, Johannesburg, Tokyo Narita,
   Kuala Lumpur, London Heathrow, Melbourne, Singapore, and Sydney.

Production

   The A380 transporter Ville de Bordeaux
   Enlarge
   The A380 transporter Ville de Bordeaux

   Major structural sections of the A380 are built in France, Germany,
   Spain, and the United Kingdom. Due to their size, they are brought to
   the assembly hall in Toulouse in France by surface transportation,
   rather than by the Beluga aircraft used for other Airbus models.
   Components of the A380 are provided by suppliers from around the world;
   the five largest contributors, by value, are Rolls-Royce, SAFRAN,
   United Technologies, General Electric, and Goodrich.

   The front and rear sections of the fuselage are loaded on an Airbus
   RORO ship, Ville de Bordeaux, in Hamburg in northern Germany, whence
   they are shipped to the United Kingdom. The wings, which are
   manufactured at Filton in Bristol and Broughton in north Wales, are
   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. Afterwards, the ship
   picks up the belly and tail sections by Construcciones Aeronáuticas SA
   in Cadiz 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. New wider roads, canal
   systems and barges were developed to deliver the A380 parts. After
   assembly, the aircraft are flown to Hamburg to be furnished and
   painted. Airbus sized the production facilities and supply chain for a
   production rate of four A380s per month.

Orders

   Sixteen airlines have ordered the A380, including an order from
   aircraft lessor ILFC. A380 orders stand at 166, of which 157 are firm
   and 15 are freighter models. Airbus expects to sell a total of 750
   aircraft, and estimates break-even at 420 units, increased from 270 due
   to delivery delays and the falling exchange rate of the US dollar.
   Industry analysts anticipate between 400 and 880 sales by 2025. As of
   2006, the unit cost of the A380 is US$ 296 to 316 million, depending on
   equipment installed.

   CAPTION: Orders sorted by airline

            Airline           EIS             Type            Engine
                                   A380-800 A380-800F Options EA RR
   Air France                 2009    10                 4    *
   China Southern Airlines    2007    5                          *
   Emirates                   2008    43                      *
   Etihad Airways             2008    4                          *
   ILFC                               5         5        4     4
   Kingfisher Airlines        2010    5
   Korean Air                 2008    5                  3    *
   Lufthansa                  2009    15                10       *
   Malaysia Airlines          2007    6                          *
   Qantas                     2007    20                 4
   Qatar Airways              2009    2                  2
   Singapore Airlines         2007    19                 6       10
   Thai Airways International         6
   UPS                        2010             10       10    *
   Virgin Atlantic            2013    6                  6       *
             Sub-totals              151       15       49    72 66
                Total                     166                  138

   CAPTION: Orders sorted by chronology

   Announcement
   Date Confirmation
   Date Airline EIS Type Engine
   A380-800 A380-800F Options EA RR
   April 30, 2000 July 24, 2000 Emirates 2008 5 2 *
   July 24, 2000 June 18, 2001 Air France 2009 10 4 *
   July 25, 2000 June 17, 2001 ILFC 5 5 4
   September 29, 2000 July 12, 2001 Singapore Airlines 2007 10 15 *
   November 29, 2000 March 6, 2001 Qantas 2007 12 12 *
   December 15, 2000 April 28, 2001 Virgin Atlantic 2013 6 6 *
   January 16, 2001 July 12, 2002 FedEx(cancelled) 2010 10 10 *
   February 27, 2001 June 20, 2003 Qatar Airways 2009 2 2
   November 4, 2001 Emirates 2008 15 *
   December 6, 2001 Lufthansa 2009 15 10 *
   January 10, 2003 Malaysia Airlines 2007 6 *
   June 16, 2003 Emirates 2009 21 *
   August 27, 2004 Thai Airways International 2007/8 6
   January 10, 2005 UPS 2010 10 10 *
   January 18, 2005 Korean Air 2008 5 3 *
   January 31, 2005 Etihad Airways 2008 4 *
   January 31, 2005 China Southern Airlines 2007 5 *
   June 15, 2005 Kingfisher Airlines 2010 5
   May 2006 Emirates 2 -2 *
   July 23, 2006 Singapore Airlines 9 -9
   October 29, 2006 Qantas 2008 8 -8
   November 7, 2006 FedEx n/a -10 -10
   Sub-Totals: 151 15 49 72 66
   Totals 166 138

   Entries shaded in pink have been announced, but have not yet signed a
   firm contract.

Technical concerns

   Several concerns about the A380 have arisen. Airbus has said that it
   will address these concerns as required by the European Aviation Safety
   Agency and its American counterpart, the FAA, which must both issue a
   type certificate before the A380 can enter into service.

Ground operations

   The A380's 20-wheel main landing gear
   Enlarge
   The A380's 20-wheel main landing gear

   Early critics claimed that the A380 would damage taxiways and other
   airport surfaces. However, the pressure exerted by its wheels is lower
   than that of a Boeing 747 or Boeing 777 because the A380 has 22 wheels,
   four more than the 747, and eight more than the 777. Airbus measured
   pavement loads using a 540-tonne (595 short tons) ballasted test rig,
   designed to replicate the landing gear of the A380. The rig was towed
   over a section of pavement at Airbus' facilities that had been
   specially instrumented with embedded load sensors.

   Based on its wingspan, the American FAA classifies the A380 as a Design
   Group VI aircraft, requiring a width of 60 m (200 ft) for runways and
   30 m (100 ft) for taxiways, compared to 45 m (150 ft) and 23 m (75 ft)
   for Design Group V aircraft such as the Boeing 747. Airbus claimed that
   the A380 could safely operate on Group V runways and taxiways, without
   the need for widening. The FAA first considered limiting the taxiing
   speed of the A380 to 25 km/h (15 mph) on Group V infrastructure, but
   has since issued waivers that do away with the speed restriction and
   some runway widening requirements.

   As of late 2005 there were concerns that the jet blast from the A380's
   engines could be dangerous to ground vehicles and airport terminal
   buildings, as more thrust is required to move its greater mass (590 t
   compared to 412.8 t for a 747). The FAA has established a commission to
   determine if new safety regulations seem necessary, and will make
   appropriate recommendations to the ICAO. According to The Wall Street
   Journal, "The debate is supposed to be entirely about safety, but
   industry officials and even some participants acknowledge that, at the
   very least, an overlay of diplomatic and trade tensions complicates
   matters." The FAA commission has stated it will not enact unilateral
   safeguards for the A380, only those imposed by the ICAO.

Wake turbulence

   The A380 generates more wake turbulence on takeoff and landing than
   existing aircraft types, requiring increased airport approach and
   departure spacing for following aircraft.

   In 2005, the International Civil Aviation Organization recommended that
   provisional separation criteria for the A380 be substantially greater
   than for the 747 because preliminary flight test data suggested a
   stronger wake than the 747. These criteria were in effect while the
   A380 Wake Vortex Steering Group, with representatives from the JAA,
   Eurocontrol, the FAA and Airbus, refined its 3-year study of the issue
   with additional flight testing. In September 2006, the working group
   presented its conclusions to the ICAO, which is expected to issue final
   guidance on the issue in November 2006.

   The working group concluded that an aircraft trailing an A380 during
   approach needs to maintain a separation of 6  nm, 8 nm and 10 nm
   respectively for ICAO "Heavy", "Medium" and "Light" aircraft
   categories, instead of the traditional 4 nm, 5 nm and 6 nm spacing.
   However, the working group found no need to limit the A380's trailing
   distance behind another aircraft, potentially making up for some of the
   increased spacing behind the A380. On departure behind an A380, the
   working group concluded that "Heavy" aircraft are required to wait two
   minutes, and "Medium"/"Light" aircraft three minutes for time based
   operations. Finally, the working group did not recommend any
   restrictions on vertical or horizontal separation criteria during
   cruise.

Wing strength

   During the destructive wing strength certification test, the test wing
   of the A380 failed to meet the certification requirement of 150% of
   limit load. Limit load is the maximum load expected during operation in
   the design life of an aircraft. The test wing buckled between the
   inboard and outboard engines at 147% of limit load, as the wing tip
   reached a vertical deflection of 7.4 m (24.3 ft). Airbus initially
   stated that the test article represented an early design, and that the
   load requirement would be verified by analysis of changes already made.
   Subsequently, however, Airbus announced that modifications adding 30 kg
   to the wing would be made to provide the required strength.

Cabin pressurization

   Joseph Mangan, a former employee of TTTech, has claimed the
   microprocessors produced by TTTech for the A380 are severely flawed.
   The microchips control the A380's cabin pressurization system; Mangan
   has stated that the combination of TTTech's microprocessor and a new
   architecture of valves could cause the A380 to undergo rapid
   decompression. This sudden drop in cabin pressure could cause the
   flight crew to lose consciousness and jeopardize safe flight. This
   allegation has been strongly rejected by both TTTech and Airbus parent
   EADS. Boeing has also said it is unaware of any problems with TTTech's
   chips. An Austrian court has fined Mr. Mangan for violating its
   preliminary injunction against discussing his allegations pending court
   cases.

Trivia

     * The A380 was nicknamed "Megaliner" during early development within
       Airbus.
     * Each A380 contains 530 kilometres (330 miles) of cables, 100,000
       wires, and 40,300 connectors.
     * Acclaimed film director Martin Scorsese is making a documentary
       film about the creation of the A380.
     * The fictional aircraft (the E-474) in the 2005 film Flightplan
       clearly resembles an A380 in its general arrangement of full length
       upper and lower passenger decks and four turbofan engines. The
       number is obviously derived from the Boeing 747. The nose, however,
       resembles the McDonnell Douglas MD-12.
     * Likewise, the experimental "Skyfleet" prototype plane from Casino
       Royale is also based on the A380.

Specifications

   A size comparison between four of the largest aircraft. Click to
   enlarge.
   Enlarge
   A size comparison between four of the largest aircraft. Click to
   enlarge.
   Measurement A380-800 A380F
   Cockpit crew Two Two
   Seating capacity 555 (3-class) 12 couriers
   Length 73 m (239 ft 6 in) 73 m (239 ft 6 in)
   Span 79.8 m (261 ft 10 in) 79.8 m (261 ft 10 in)
   Height 24.1 m (79 ft 1 in) 24.1 m (79 ft 1 in)
   Wheelbase 30.4 m (99 ft 8 in) 30.4 m (99 ft 8 in)
   Outside fuselage width 7.14 m (23 ft 6 in) 7.14 m (23 ft 6 in)
   Floor width, main deck 6.30 m (20 ft 8 in) 6.30 m (20 ft 8 in)
   Floor width, upper deck 5.28 m (17 ft 4 in) 5.28 m (17 ft 4 in)
   Wing area 845 m² (9,100 ft²) 845 m² (9,100 ft²)
   Operating empty weight 276,800 kg (610,200 lb) 252,200 kg (556,000 lb)
   Maximum take-off weight 560,000 kg (1,235,000 lb) 590,000 kg (1,300,000
   lb)
   Maximum payload 90,800 kg (200,000 lb) 152,400 kg (336,000 lb)
   Cruising speed 0.85 Mach 0.85 Mach
   Maximum speed 0.89 Mach 0.89 Mach
   Range at design load 8,000 nm (15,000 km) 5,600 nm (10,400 km)
   Maximum fuel capacity 310,000 L (81,890 U.S. gallons) 310,000 L (81,890
   U.S. gallons),
   356,000 L (94,000 U.S. gallons) option
   Engines 4 x GP7270 or Trent 970 4 x GP7277 or Trent 977
   Retrieved from " http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Airbus_A380"
   This reference article is mainly selected from the English Wikipedia
   with only minor checks and changes (see www.wikipedia.org for details
   of authors and sources) and is available under the GNU Free
   Documentation License. See also our Disclaimer.
