Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

Airbus Launches 800 Passenger Jumbo Jet

Posted by michael on from the where's-my-luggage dept.

voma writes "Airbus, the world's largest planemaker, will unveil its A380, a $16 billion wager that airlines will order giant aircraft to ferry passengers between major airports over the next 20 years. The double-decker A380 plane has a wing span of 80 meters (262 feet), almost the length of an American football field. It's 73 meters long and weighs as much as 569 tons (1.2 million pounds) when fully loaded for takeoff. It will have a range of 8,000 nautical miles."

2 of 776 comments (clear)

  1. Re:Wings by Pig+Hogger · · Score: 0, Flamebait
    Don't include us English in that. We can fuck up any big construction scheme. The French, however... Did anyone see that bridge that is higher than the clouds? That's worthy of a Slashdot story in itself.
    That's because the brits, a nation of shopkeepers, are dominated by the bourgeois. The bourgeois, by definition, are petty, self-centered people unable to have a global vision of things. So they keep doing small little things in their own corner of their own backyards.

    The French, on the other-hand, not having that Magna-Carta inspired nonsense about "the state being bad", fully trust the public powers to do sensible things on a grand scale, such as the high-speed rail network or that very bridge for that matter. And the State gives itself the power to do it's grand scheme, namely by having elite corps of civil servants that are handpicked from the crème de la crème of students.

  2. Why Airbus will Flop in the passenger market by thelizman · · Score: 0, Flamebait

    Perhaps 'flop' is too strong of a word, by Airbus is being too ambitious by half by going after the passenger carrying market. This plane is only suitable for long-haul flights, like New York to Tokyo or Paris to Rio de Janiero Which means the total global market for this aircraft as a passenger ferry is on the order of a few hundred - nowhere close to the break even point.

    Also, most airlines have considerable risk sensitivity. The idea of one plane carrying as many as 800 passengers could crash and generate 800 multi-million dollar lawsuits will probably wave off quite a few passengers. Lastly, this plane is limited to a scant few airports worldwide that will be able to service it. Airbus was very saavy in making the A380 so that it could pull up to modern day terminals. However, they can't assure that it will fit between modern day terminals, particularly at already crowded ports like Phoenix or Atlanta.

    Luckily for airbus investors, they won't lose their shirts. The A380 will have an illustrious career as a cargo hauler what with all that internal volume. It's also the logical choice in modified form to carry large rocket parts and transport other aircraft.