Airbus A380 news

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RoMax
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Re: Airbus A380 news

Post by RoMax »

Alexandre de Juniac of Air France said that AF-KL might cancel their latest two orders for the A380 and instead place an order for two other aircraft. This would reduce the amount of A380's on order and in service from 12 to 10, but no final decision has been made yet.
Earlier this month (or past month?) AF already said that A380 is not the right fit for their network, having a very limited amount of routes on which the A380 proves to actually make sense.

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Re: Airbus A380 news

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http://business.time.com/2013/10/23/air ... ve-turkey/

Story:
Airbus May Be Making the World’s Fattest, Most Expensive Turkey
By Bill Saporito @bilsapOct. 23, 20136 Comments

When passengers on Air France’s Flight 006 land at New York City’s Kennedy Airport from Paris on Thanksgiving Day they may also have the distinction of arriving on one of the biggest turkeys in aviation history, the Airbus super jumbo A380. Airbus has no new orders for the jet this year, and Lufthansa recently canceled three A380s—it had ordered 17—which typically have 500 to 525 seats. Airports are required to build special gates just to board and unload that many passengers. Air France/KLM, which launched its A380 service with much fanfare, doesn’t want any more as it continues to restructure. Orders at Virgin Atlantic (6) and Hong Kong Airlines (10) seem vulnerable while an option taken by finance firm Doric Asset Finance for 20 of the big birds hasn’t been converted to a firm order.

No U.S. carrier has stepped up to buy the A380 and none likely will. “The A380 is, by definition, an uneconomic airplane unless you’re a state-owned enterprise with subsidies,” said Delta ceo Richard Anderson in a recent speech. He’s making a reference to Emirates and Singapore Airlines, who own about 45% of all planned deliveries. Emirates has 35 A380s operating out of a total order of 90. According to aviation expert Richard Aboulafia, vice president of analysis at Teal Group, there have been 167 net A380 orders over the last decade. Airbus planned to build 30 A380s annually but the current rate is less than 17 per year. “The people who are in the order book are the order book,” Aboulafia says, meaning the potential to add new orders is limited.

As things now stand, it is unlikely that the A380 will produce anything but a write-down for Airbus and its parent company EADS (soon to be called Airbus Group), which invested something on the order of $25 billion to get the first A380 airborne. The jet lists for about $400 million, but you can make them an offer: the going rate is somewhere north of $200 million.

Passengers seem perfectly happy with the A380, which has the coolest takeoff feel—it’s like being in an elevator, not a jet— since the supersonic Concorde. (Some versions have what has been called the world’s most luxurious accommodations.) But, for operators, the A380 was launched in 2000 to solve a problem that never materialized. Planners perceived an air travel corridor that was going to be so cramped with traffic that jumbos would seemingly have to play a role. But global deregulation, which has allowed more airlines to fly transnationally from more places, eliminated some of the need for collecting large amounts of passengers in one hub like Paris or Frankfurt and then sending them on to other big hubs.

Airbus hasn’t given up on that notion. Canceling orders may be fashionable now, said its COO for customers John Leahy, but just wait two years when the skies are even more crowded and see who needs what. In the Airbus view, the world will need 1711 very large aircraft over the next 20 years, in part because traffic will double in 15 years.

Airbus is absolutely rocking in other aircraft categories. The company now has 725 firm orders for the A350 XWB, a twin-aisle, long-range aircraft that is undermining its big brother. The A350 helped Airbus crack the code in Asia, winning an order of 31 A350 XWBs from Japan Airlines, once a Boeing captive. It was a huge victory for the Europeans. “It’s not about capacity, it’s about range and economics,” says Aboulafia. Similarly, Airbus has a ton of orders for its single-aisle jets, including the new A320neo, the most fuel-efficient version of that model yet. Airbus grabbed 1,062 new orders this year, putting it ahead of its great rival Boeing, and a record backlog of nearly 5,300 jetliners, or about eight years of production. It’s going to be busy in Toulouse for some time.

Read more: Airbus May Be Making the World’s Fattest, Most Expensive Turkey | TIME.com http://business.time.com/2013/10/23/air ... z2jad7MxLF

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Re: Airbus A380 news

Post by FLYAIR10 »

A380 Flies 5,000 Miles On Three Engines

An A380 from EK had an engine flamout in its n°4 engine 1 hour after take-off from JFK for DXB. Crew decided nevertheless to go on over the Atlantic,Med,etc..but eventually diverted to Kuwait..
I guess not all pilots/airlines would have made same decision to go on for 5000 miles after an engine flame-out and with a few hundreds of passengers on board...

Source:

http://www.avweb.com/avwebflash/news/A3 ... 951-1.html

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Re: Airbus A380 news

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Emirates just inaugurated the longest A380 route: DXB-LAX (which is also one of the longest non-stop passenger air routes, right after SYD-DFW by QF and ATL-JNB by DL, since Singapore stopped EWR-LAX). 7,246 nm (13,420 km) in 16 hours 20 min.

At least passengers have some room to stretch their legs!

A return ticket in one of the 14 suites of first class costs 26,000 dollars and the first availability is in two months! Very profitable indeed...

LAX receives now A380s from AF, BA, QF, KE, SQ, CZ, and now also EK.

The route was previously operated with a 777-300ER.
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RoMax
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Re: Airbus A380 news

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sn26567 wrote:Emirates just inaugurated the longest A380 route: DUB-LAX
I suppose you mean DXB-LAX, as I suppose they don't fly between Dublin and Los Angeles.

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Re: Airbus A380 news

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RoMax wrote:
sn26567 wrote:Emirates just inaugurated the longest A380 route: DUB-LAX
I suppose you mean DXB-LAX, as I suppose they don't fly between Dublin and Los Angeles.
Oops! Corrected ;) Thx RoMax.
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Re: Airbus A380 news

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The Aviation Herald reports today about an serious incident (Simon classifies it as an accicent) in which a stewardess on a LH A380 flight from FRA to SFO two years ago was seriously intoxicated by fumes of tri-ortho-cresyl phosphate coming from one of the engines. Two years later, the flight attendant's health is still affected and she seems to be permanently injured and incapable of resuming her job. Lufthansa's medical service apparently turns its back to the claim of the flight attendant's family and Germany's Berufsgenossenschaft für Transport und Verkehrswirtschaft has not investigated the case.

http://www.avherald.com/h?article=46c79b49&opt=0

This seems to be a serious mishandling. Now I hope that with the pressure coming from the public release of the information something will be done to help and indemnify the stewardess.

The publication of this news comes just after another incident/accident in which 8 crew members of a Lufthansa A380 flying from FRA to JNB were injured/intoxicated by engine fumes and returned sick to FRA on the return flight operated by the normal crew.

http://avherald.com/h?article=46c6beb4&opt=0

Same reason, same effect?
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Re: Airbus A380 news

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Asiana Airlines’ first Airbus A380 performs its maiden flight

Asiana Airlines’ first A380 has successfully completed its maiden flight. The A380 flew on Friday from Airbus’ facilities in Toulouse, France to the aircraft manufacturer’s site in Hamburg, Germany, where it will undergo painting and cabin furnishing.

Image

Asiana Airlines will become the twelfth operator of the A380 when it takes delivery of its first aircraft in the second quarter of 2014. The airline has firm orders for six A380s and will operate the aircraft on its primary routes from Seoul to the US.

16 December 2013 Press Release
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Re: Airbus A380 news

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Hello

A Singapore Airlines A380 made an emergency landing in GYD due to cabin depressurisation.
Aircraft was flying from LHR to SIN.
http://uk.reuters.com/article/2014/01/0 ... 5F20140106

Greetings,
All my posted timings are local !

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Re: Airbus A380 news

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tangolima wrote:A Singapore Airlines A380 made an emergency landing in GYD due to cabin depressurisation.
Aircraft was flying from LHR to SIN.
http://uk.reuters.com/article/2014/01/0 ... 5F20140106
See also separate topic: viewtopic.php?f=7&t=52019
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Re: Airbus A380 news

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British Airways has welcomed its fourth A380 "LED" at its home base of London Heathrow:

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Re: Airbus A380 news

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The Indian goverment unbans the A380:

http://www.financialexpress.com/news/go ... ia/1220953

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Re: Airbus A380 news

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According to Reuters and The Wall Street Journal, by 2020 Airbus may sell an A380 jet with new engines. This move would be aimed at providing a more efficient engine option to make jet more attractive to buyers. The new engine would come from a single supplier, instead of two (Rolls-Royce and Engine Alliance, a joint venture between General Electric and Pratt & Whitney) for the current model.

If Airbus were eventually to strike an exclusive deal with Rolls-Royce (which has indicated it was willing to upgrade the Trent 900 engine) for the A380, it could effectively signal the end of Engine Alliance, which was formed to build jets only for the A380, and would cement increasing ties between the U.K.-based engine maker and the European plane maker. Indeed, the A350 is sold exclusively with Rolls-Royce engines.

Engine Alliance has also hinted that it could revamp its engines for an improved A380.
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Re: Airbus A380 news

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Airbus has discovered unexpected levels of metal fatigue of A380 wings during testing on a factory mock-up.
Airbus has asked airlines to inspect the wing's "spars" or main internal beams during heavy maintenance visits carried out after 6 years in service, and again after 12 years, doubling the current rate of inspections.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/03/ ... 8I20140306
IF IT AIN'T BOEING, I'M NOT GOING.

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Re: Airbus A380 news

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Rumours are circulating that Qantas might become the first airline to lease out an overcapacity of Airbus A380 (the airline presently has 12 with options for another eight).

Turkish Airlines is a possible taker, as it has been mentioned elsewhere as a client for four A380s.
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Re: Airbus A380 news

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Airbus to raise floor on A380 to create 11-abreast

Airbus will literally raise the floor on the Airbus A380 to accommodate 18-inch wide economy class seats in 11-abreast configuration and still deliver an 18-inch seat.

The economics of the aircraft will be significantly improved and the A380-800 will have lower unit costs than the A350-1000 and the 777X.

Airbus is eager to tempt its largest A380 customer, Emirates, to take delivery of the double-decker aircraft in 11-abreast configuration. The manufacturer will reveal a new 11-abreast A380 cabin mock-up at the forthcoming Aircraft Interiors Expo in Hamburg.
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Re: Airbus A380 news

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Around 20/21MAR14, ASIANA AIRLINES opened reservations for its first planned Airbus A380 operation. The A380 is scheduled to enter service from mid-June 2014, initially operating service from Seoul Incheon to Tokyo Narita and Hong Kong, and one month later to Osaka Kansai and Bangkok, and finally Los Angeles another month later.

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Fresh from the paint-shop in Hamburg on 27/03/2014
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Re: Airbus A380 news

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Another livery has been completed for a new A380 operator. Also the cabin configuration of first Qatar Airways A380 is now complete and the aircraft is painted.

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Re: Airbus A380 news

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Emirates becomes London Gatwick's first A380 operator today:

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Re: Airbus A380 news

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Skymark Airlines' first A380 has successfully completed its maiden flight. Skymark Airlines will become Japan’s first A380 operator.

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