World's Largest Passenger Plane Unveiled
1 hour, 1 minute ago Business - AP
By LAURENCE FROST, AP Business Writer
TOULOUSE, France - Airbus showed off its giant A380, a double-decked behemoth that could revolutionize long-haul flying, at a lavish ceremony Tuesday with European leaders gathered for the first official look at the world's largest passenger plane.
AP Photo
Airbus SAS is betting its newfound status as the world's leading jet maker on the "superjumbo" that has a 262-foot wingspan, a tail as tall as a seven-story building and cost $13 billion to develop.
The leaders of France, Britain, Germany and Spain — Airbus' government backers — and CEOs from the 14 airlines and freight transporters that have ordered A380s attended the elaborate ceremony at company headquarters in Toulouse, southern France.
"We may have reached for the stars ... but as far as the aeronautical industry is concerned we caught some of those stars," said German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder, who called the A380 a "triumph of European science and European engineering."
French President Jacques Chirac said "this veritable liner of the skies will mark aviation history," while British Prime Minister Tony Blair (news - web sites) praised the A380 as the "only commercial plane designed from the outset to minimize the impact on the environment."
The show before almost 5,000 guests included music, clouds of dry ice and dancers in the A380 assembly hangar, one of the largest enclosed spaces in Europe. Projected images of Airbus planes sped across the walls and dancers suspended on wires appeared to walk on air.
Four children tugged on a white cord to pull down a curtain, unveiling the plane lit in blue behind.
The A380's launch seemed certain to become a milestone in civil aviation history alongside the Concorde and the Boeing Co.'s 747. Unlike the supersonic Concorde, however, whose claim to fame was how fast it crossed the Atlantic, this latest fruit of European aerospace cooperation will ultimately be judged on how fast it makes money.
Airbus already has 149 orders for the $280 million plane, "which for a plane of this size that has not yet flown is an extraordinary commercial performance," CEO Noel Forgeard said.
Airbus says companies have options on dozens more and that the program will break even after 250 sales — an objective it hopes to reach within three years.
"At the end of the day, the A380 will be a very successful airplane," said Jon Ash, president of InterVISTAS-ga2, a Washington-based aviation consulting firm.
Ash said the A380 will be an enticing aircraft for carriers on long-haul, high-density markets, whereas the 747 will be a "viable alternative" to other carriers.
"The 747 is going to have the middle market, for those carriers that don't believe they can generate the kinds of volumes that are necessary for the A380, or where their route structure is not constrained by congestion," he said.
Airbus hopes to sell 750 superjumbos to airlines operating services between the busiest airports, mainly in Asia, which serve as hubs, or stopovers between connecting flights.
Boeing, however, sees demand for only 400 jets larger than its 747 over the next two decades, as passengers increasingly gravitate toward direct flights aboard a new generation of smaller, long-range jets like its planned 7E7.
Ash said Boeing's argument that the average plane size is shrinking is a red herring. He said the trend is tapering off as carriers in the United States and beyond replace older 50-seat planes with newer regional jets that can carry up to twice that many passengers.
"The economics of the A380 are going to be great as long as you can put a lot of bodies on them," Ash said. "This is not a plane that's going to fly to Indianapolis."
Airbus trailed Boeing until 2003, when it delivered more planes than its U.S. rival for the first time — a feat it matched last year, with 320 deliveries to Boeing's 285, and is likely to repeat this year.
Sustaining that lead will depend partly on the outcome of Airbus' audacious bet on strong demand for the A380. Airbus plans the first test flight of the 280-metric ton (308-ton) plane sometime before March 31.
In a three-class cabin layout, the A380 will carry 555 passengers — 33 percent more than the 747. The A380 has 49 percent more floor space — leaving additional room for features such as on-board shops, bars, casinos or even nurseries.
On a full tank, it will carry passengers 5 percent farther than Boeing's longest-range jumbo, Airbus claims, producing costs per passenger that are up to one-fifth below its rival's.
Airlines, who have closely guarded their A380 cabin designs, will decide how to use the extra space. Low-cost carriers could operate a single economy-class layout accommodating as many as 800 passengers.
Virgin company chief Richard Branson said his airline, which has ordered six A380s, will offer private double beds for first-class passengers.
The chairman of Dubai-based carrier Emirates — so far the largest A380 customer with 45 orders — said the plane was a "key element in our future growth" and offers "the widest cabin of any aircraft in the world."
"It provides lower seat-mile costs and carries more passengers further and consumes less fuel than its competitors," Sheikh Ahmed bin Saee Al Maktoum said.
Chew Choon Seng, CEO of Singapore Airlines, said the A380 would increase passenger and cargo capacities "without increasing aircraft movements and without congesting the skies and adding to congestion on airport taxiways and runways."
Singapore Airlines will begin using the plane for service to London and Sydney when it becomes the first carrier to carry commercial passengers aboard the A380 in mid-2006, he said.
Airports are spending billions to accommodate the giant jets but there is concern that some may not be ready in time.
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phhttp://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl ... _debutotos
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=s ... 1901181258
1 hour, 1 minute ago Business - AP
By LAURENCE FROST, AP Business Writer
TOULOUSE, France - Airbus showed off its giant A380, a double-decked behemoth that could revolutionize long-haul flying, at a lavish ceremony Tuesday with European leaders gathered for the first official look at the world's largest passenger plane.
AP Photo
Airbus SAS is betting its newfound status as the world's leading jet maker on the "superjumbo" that has a 262-foot wingspan, a tail as tall as a seven-story building and cost $13 billion to develop.
The leaders of France, Britain, Germany and Spain — Airbus' government backers — and CEOs from the 14 airlines and freight transporters that have ordered A380s attended the elaborate ceremony at company headquarters in Toulouse, southern France.
"We may have reached for the stars ... but as far as the aeronautical industry is concerned we caught some of those stars," said German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder, who called the A380 a "triumph of European science and European engineering."
French President Jacques Chirac said "this veritable liner of the skies will mark aviation history," while British Prime Minister Tony Blair (news - web sites) praised the A380 as the "only commercial plane designed from the outset to minimize the impact on the environment."
The show before almost 5,000 guests included music, clouds of dry ice and dancers in the A380 assembly hangar, one of the largest enclosed spaces in Europe. Projected images of Airbus planes sped across the walls and dancers suspended on wires appeared to walk on air.
Four children tugged on a white cord to pull down a curtain, unveiling the plane lit in blue behind.
The A380's launch seemed certain to become a milestone in civil aviation history alongside the Concorde and the Boeing Co.'s 747. Unlike the supersonic Concorde, however, whose claim to fame was how fast it crossed the Atlantic, this latest fruit of European aerospace cooperation will ultimately be judged on how fast it makes money.
Airbus already has 149 orders for the $280 million plane, "which for a plane of this size that has not yet flown is an extraordinary commercial performance," CEO Noel Forgeard said.
Airbus says companies have options on dozens more and that the program will break even after 250 sales — an objective it hopes to reach within three years.
"At the end of the day, the A380 will be a very successful airplane," said Jon Ash, president of InterVISTAS-ga2, a Washington-based aviation consulting firm.
Ash said the A380 will be an enticing aircraft for carriers on long-haul, high-density markets, whereas the 747 will be a "viable alternative" to other carriers.
"The 747 is going to have the middle market, for those carriers that don't believe they can generate the kinds of volumes that are necessary for the A380, or where their route structure is not constrained by congestion," he said.
Airbus hopes to sell 750 superjumbos to airlines operating services between the busiest airports, mainly in Asia, which serve as hubs, or stopovers between connecting flights.
Boeing, however, sees demand for only 400 jets larger than its 747 over the next two decades, as passengers increasingly gravitate toward direct flights aboard a new generation of smaller, long-range jets like its planned 7E7.
Ash said Boeing's argument that the average plane size is shrinking is a red herring. He said the trend is tapering off as carriers in the United States and beyond replace older 50-seat planes with newer regional jets that can carry up to twice that many passengers.
"The economics of the A380 are going to be great as long as you can put a lot of bodies on them," Ash said. "This is not a plane that's going to fly to Indianapolis."
Airbus trailed Boeing until 2003, when it delivered more planes than its U.S. rival for the first time — a feat it matched last year, with 320 deliveries to Boeing's 285, and is likely to repeat this year.
Sustaining that lead will depend partly on the outcome of Airbus' audacious bet on strong demand for the A380. Airbus plans the first test flight of the 280-metric ton (308-ton) plane sometime before March 31.
In a three-class cabin layout, the A380 will carry 555 passengers — 33 percent more than the 747. The A380 has 49 percent more floor space — leaving additional room for features such as on-board shops, bars, casinos or even nurseries.
On a full tank, it will carry passengers 5 percent farther than Boeing's longest-range jumbo, Airbus claims, producing costs per passenger that are up to one-fifth below its rival's.
Airlines, who have closely guarded their A380 cabin designs, will decide how to use the extra space. Low-cost carriers could operate a single economy-class layout accommodating as many as 800 passengers.
Virgin company chief Richard Branson said his airline, which has ordered six A380s, will offer private double beds for first-class passengers.
The chairman of Dubai-based carrier Emirates — so far the largest A380 customer with 45 orders — said the plane was a "key element in our future growth" and offers "the widest cabin of any aircraft in the world."
"It provides lower seat-mile costs and carries more passengers further and consumes less fuel than its competitors," Sheikh Ahmed bin Saee Al Maktoum said.
Chew Choon Seng, CEO of Singapore Airlines, said the A380 would increase passenger and cargo capacities "without increasing aircraft movements and without congesting the skies and adding to congestion on airport taxiways and runways."
Singapore Airlines will begin using the plane for service to London and Sydney when it becomes the first carrier to carry commercial passengers aboard the A380 in mid-2006, he said.
Airports are spending billions to accommodate the giant jets but there is concern that some may not be ready in time.
phgh
phhttp://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl ... _debutotos
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=s ... 1901181258
