The scheme of the cabin and the best places of the Airbus A380 of the Emirates airline. The location of the seats in the rows: where it is more convenient to sit. History of the Airbus A380

Airbus A380- wide-body double-deck four-engine turbojet passenger aircraft, created by Airbus S.A.S. - the largest serial airliner in the world (height 24 meters, length 80 meters, wingspan 80 meters). Capacity - 525 passengers in the cabin of three classes, 853 passengers in a single class configuration. Can commit non-stop flights at a distance of up to 15,400 km.

Story

The development of the liner began in 1994 under the code A3XX and continued for 10 years. The purpose of creating the Airbus A380 was the desire of the developer to expand the range of its products, as well as to deprive the dominant position in the wide-body passenger aircraft segment (the 747 dominated this segment for more than 30 years). McDonnell Douglas pursued the same goals with his - as a result unsuccessful - project MD-12. Since both firms were going to build a successor, they knew that in the consumer market segment - aircraft for 600-800 passenger seats - there would be room for only one such aircraft.

Everyone was aware of the risk of a split in such a specialized market, as was clearly demonstrated by the Lockheed L-1011 Tristar and MD DC-10: both aircraft met the needs of the market, but the market could only usefully support one of the models, which as a result forced Lockheed to leave the civil aviation market .

In January 1993, Boeing and several other companies in the Airbus consortium began a feasibility study on a Very Large Commercial Transport (VLCT) airliner, seeking to form a partnership to carve out the limited-capacity market.

In June 1994, Airbus began development of its own VLCT, giving it the temporary designation Airbus 3XX. Airbus considered several designs, including a twin-fuselage combination from the Airbus A340, then Airbus' largest aircraft. At the same time, Boeing was considering a concept with a "hump" closer to the nose of the aircraft, which would accommodate more passengers. The VLCT partnership ended in 1996. And in January 1997, Boeing canceled its Boeing 747X program due to the East Asian economic crisis of 1997-2000, which clouded the market outlook. Airbus changed the project in the direction of reducing operating costs by 15-20% compared to the Boeing 747-400 that existed at that time.

The design of the A3XX converged on a fully double-deck design concept, which would allow for more passenger capacity than the standard single-deck or 747-like humpback design.

On December 19, 2000, the board of directors of the newly reorganized Airbus voted to launch the A3XX program and estimated the cost of the program at €8.8 billion. The A3XX finally received a full designation as the A380. Even then, 55 orders were received from 6 customers. The designation A380 is a break between the previous "Airbus" designations in the sequence from A300 to A340. The designation A380 was chosen because the number 8 resembles the cross-section of this double-deck aircraft. In addition, the number 8 is considered "lucky" in some Asian customer countries. The final configuration of the aircraft was approved in early 2001, and production of the first A380 wing components began on January 23, 2002. The cost of the program rose to €11 billion when the first aircraft was completed.

Production of aircraft components

The main structural sections of the airliner were built at factories in France, Great Britain, Germany and Spain. Due to their size, they were transported to Toulouse not by A300-600 Beluga (used to transport parts for other Airbus aircraft), but by land and water transport, although some parts were transported using our domestic An-124 aircraft.

The forward and rear fuselage sections were loaded horizontally onto an Airbus-owned Ville de Bordeaux vessel in Hamburg and from there shipped to the UK. Wing consoles were produced in Filton (a suburb of Bristol) and in Bravtin in North Wales, from where they were delivered by barge to Mastin, where Ville de Bordeaux loaded them, along with existing sections, on board the vessel. Then, for some more sections, the ship called at Saint-Nazaire in Western France and, further, the ship unloaded in Bordeaux. The ship then took on board the lower fuselage and tail sections in Cadiz and delivered them to Bordeaux. From there parts of the A380 were transported by barge to Langon (in the Gironde) and further overland to the assembly plant in Toulouse. To deliver parts of the A380, some roads were widened, new canals and barges were built. After all this, the planes went to Hamburg, where they were equipped and painted.

Each A380 requires 3,600 liters of paint to cover 3,100 m² of skin.

Testing

Five A380s were built for demonstration and testing purposes. The first A380, serial number MSN001 and registration F-WWOW, was presented at a ceremony in Toulouse on January 18, 2005.

The first flight began at 8:29 UTC (10:29 local time) on April 27, 2005. This aircraft, equipped with Trent-900 engines, took off from international airport Toulouse with a flight crew of 6, led by test pilot Jacques Rosy. The plane landed successfully after 3 hours and 54 minutes. On December 1, 2005, the A380 reached its top speed at Mach 0.96 (against cruising speed at Mach 0.85) with a gentle dive, thereby starting a series of test flights aimed at studying the range of operational flight modes.

On January 10, 2006, the A380 made its first transatlantic flight, flying to Medellin, Colombia to test the aircraft for operation at a high altitude airport, before flying to Iqaluit, the capital of Nunavut, Canada, for testing in cold weather conditions.

In early 2006, during static tests at the Toulouse aircraft factory, the wing of one of the A380s (MSN5000) unexpectedly cracked when it reached 145% of its nominal load, while aviation safety standards require it to withstand a load of 150% of its nominal load.
The Airbus consortium management decided to make changes to the A380 wing design in order to increase its strength. The reinforcing elements together increased the weight of the aircraft airframe by 30 kg, of which 14 kg was due to mounting bolts.

March 26, 2006 A380 passed evacuation certification in Hamburg (Germany). With a total of 16 exits, 8 were blocked, 853 passengers and 20 crew members were evacuated in 78 seconds, against the requirements of 90 seconds for evacuation certification standards. Three days later, the European Safety Aviation Agency (EASA) and the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) gave their approval for the Airbus A380 to carry up to 853 passengers. On August 25, 2006, the first flight of the A380 took place with GP 7200 engines (aircraft with serial number MSN 009).

On September 4, 2006, the first flight test of the A380 with passengers on board took place in a series of flights made to test the comfort and quality of passenger services. The plane took off from Toulouse with 474 Airbus employees on board. In November 2006, a lot of test flights took place in order to check the aircraft's performance under standard airline operating conditions. On December 12, the A380-841 and the A380-842 received EASA and FAA certification at a joint ceremony at the company's French headquarters. Model A380-861 was certified on December 14, 2007.

As of February 2008, the five A380s had logged a total of 4,565 flight hours and completed 1,364 flights including airline performance checks and demonstration flights.

Production and delivery

On initial stage The production of the Airbus A380 was complicated by the fact that each aircraft required 530 kilometers of electrical wiring. Airbus cited in particular the difficulty of wiring in the cockpit (100,000 wires and 40,300 connecting wires), the fact that this separate, parallel project must meet the requirements of each airline, control over design changes and control over changes in technical documentation. . The German and Spanish Airbus factories continued to use CATIA version 4 software, while the British and French factories switched to CATIA version 5. This, at least in part, caused some problems in the area of ​​control of design changes, since the laying of aluminum electrical wires required special rules, including the use of non-standard units and bending radii: problems were associated with the fact that versions of the software (CATIA) worked under different platforms.

Airbus announced the first delay in June 2005 and notified airlines that deliveries would be delayed by 6 months. This reduced the number of planned deliveries by the end of 2009 from 120 to 100-90. On June 13, 2006, Airbus announced a second delay in the delivery schedule for another six to seven months. Although the first delivery was scheduled for the end of 2006, deliveries in 2007 were reduced by only 7 aircraft, and by the end of 2009 to 80-70. The announcement sent Airbus' parent EADS stock down 26% and led to the resignations of EADS CEO Noel Forgrid, Airbus CEO Gustav Humbert and A380 Program Manager Charles Champion. October 3 new CEO Airbus announced a third delay after the completion of the program review, pushing back the first delivery to October 2007.

In 2008, 12 aircraft were delivered, in 2009 14 aircraft were delivered to customers, in 2010 - 27, and from 2011 it is planned to establish an annual production rate of 45 aircraft.

The delay also increased the shortfall in revenue projected by Airbus until 2010 to €4.8 billion.

As Airbus prioritized work on the A380-800 over the A380-800F (cargo version), orders for the A380-800F were either canceled or switched to A380-800 orders. Airbus has suspended work on the freighter, but said the A380 freighter is still in the pipeline.

Commissioning

First aircraft sold (MSN003, registration number: 9V-SKA) was handed over to the customer on October 15, 2007 after a long acceptance test phase and entered service on October 25, 2007, having completed commercial flight between Singapore and Sydney (flight number: SQ380).

2 months later, Singapore Airlines President Chu Chong Seng said the A380 was performing better than expected and consuming 20% ​​less fuel per passenger than the company's existing Boeing 747-400s. The second A380 for Singapore Airlines (MSN005) was handed over to Airbus on 11 January 2008 and was registered as 9V-SKB. Until March 18, 2008, Singapore Airlines operated its two aircraft in a 471-seat configuration between Singapore and Sydney.

After the arrival of the third aircraft, it was decided to expand the number of air routes on the Singapore-London route. On March 18, 2008, Singapore Airlines A380 successfully landed at Heathrow Airport (London), thus making the first commercial flight to Europe.

The fourth A380 "Singapore Airlines", which came into the company's disposal from April 26 (9V-SKD), has been flying on the Singapore-Tokyo route since May 20.

Singapore Airlines named the following promising routes: Singapore - San Francisco, direct flights to Paris and Frankfurt, Hong Kong route, Melbourne - Singapore.

On January 25, 2008, the A380 (MSN014) Qantas (the second airline to order the A380) made its first flight. Qantas has said it will initially operate the A380 in a 450-seat configuration on its Melbourne-Los Angeles route. Subsequent routes may include Sydney-Los Angeles, and Melbourne-London, Sydney-London.

Project

The new Airbus was planned to be sold in two versions. Modification A380-800 was originally designed to carry 555 passengers in a configuration with three comfort classes, or 853 passengers (538 per main deck and 315 on the upper deck) in a single economy configuration. In May 2007, Airbus began offering customers aircraft with fewer passenger seats(currently 525 seats in three grades) in exchange for an increased range of 370 km to better match trends in premium passenger accommodation. The flight range for the A380-800 model is 15,400 km. The second, cargo, modification of the A380-800F will be able to carry up to 150 tons of cargo over a distance of up to 10,370 km. Future variants may include the A380-900 with an increased seating capacity of up to 656 passengers (or up to 960 passengers in a single economy class), and extended range modifications with the same passenger capacity as the A380-800.

The wing size of the A380 is designed for maximum takeoff weight over 650 tons, with an eye to future versions, although the wing will need to be strengthened somewhat. The reinforced wing will be used in the cargo version of the A380-800F. As a result of this general design approach, fuel efficiency is somewhat reduced. passenger modification A380-800, but Airbus estimates that the size of the aircraft, coupled with the new technologies described below, will result in lower operating costs per passenger than any of the existing modifications.

The A380 also has end wings (winglets) similar to those seen on the A310 and A320 to reduce wake turbulence, improve economy and performance.

cockpit

Similar cockpit layout, procedures and flight Airbus specifications uses in other of his aircraft to reduce the cost of crew training.

The A380 has an improved glass cockpit and electric remote control of the rudders connected to the side control stick.

Information display devices in the cockpit: 9 interchangeable liquid crystal monitors 20x15 cm. Out of 9 monitors, 2 - navigation data indicators, 2 - main flight data indicators, 2 current state the whole system and 2 multifunctional.

Engines

A380 can be equipped with two types of engines: A380-841, A380-842 and A380-843F with Rolls-Royce Trent 900 engine, and A380-861,A380-862,A380-863F,A380-864F with Engine Alliance GP7000 engine. The Trent 900 is the successor to the Trent 800, the GP7000 descended from the GE90 and PW4000. At its core, the Trent 900 is a scaled-down version of the Trent 500, but it also uses technology from the stillborn Trent 8104. Only two of four engines equipped with thrust reversers.
Noise reduction was an important requirement in the design of the A380, which was partly reflected in the design of the engines. Both engine types allow the aircraft to meet QC/2 departure and QC/0.5 arrival noise limits set by London Heathrow Airport, which is expected to be a key destination for the A380.

Fuel

The A380 can fly on a blend of aviation kerosene with natural gas GTL. A three-hour test flight on 1 February 2008 between Airbus' facility at Filton Bristol in the UK and Airbus' main plant in Toulouse, France was successful.

One of the A380's four engines used a mixture of 60 percent jet fuel and 40 percent GTL fuel supplied by Shell.

The aircraft does not require modification to use GTL fuel, which is designed to be mixed with conventional jet fuel. GTL does not contain sulfur compounds, which compares favorably with conventional kerosene.

Improved Materials

The design of the Airbus A380 is widely used composite materials- metals and plastics reinforced with fiberglass, carbon and quartz fibers. New weldable aluminum alloys are also widely used, which, in combination with laser beam welding, has made it possible to get rid of rivets. In January 2012, microcracks were found on the hull of the wings.

Conditions for passengers

The noise level in the cabin of the A380 is 50% less than that of the Boeing 747, and a higher air pressure is also maintained inside the aircraft (equal to the pressure at an altitude of 1500 meters versus 2500 for the 747). Both of these factors are expected to help reduce passenger fatigue while traveling. The upper and lower decks are connected by two ladders, at the nose and tail of the aircraft, wide enough to accommodate two passengers shoulder to shoulder. In a 555-passenger configuration, the A380 has 33% more passenger space than in a standard three-class configuration, but the cabin has 50% more space and volume, resulting in more space per passenger. The maximum certified capacity of the aircraft is 853 passengers when configured with a single economy class. The announced configurations range from 450 seats (for Qantas Airways) to 644 (for Emirates Airline, with two comfort classes).

Ground operation

Previously, critics have argued that the weight of the A380 could damage airport taxiways. However, the pressure that the wheels of the liner exert on the surface is less than that of a Boeing 747 or, since the A380 has 22 wheels, which is 4 more than the 747 and eight more than the 777. Airbus measured the load on the pavement using a custom 580-tonne load wagon built to mimic the A380 chassis. The wagon was rolled over a section of the road surface where pressure sensors were placed.

Based on the wingspan of the A380, the US Federal Aviation Administration initially classified it as a Group VI aircraft, which requires a 60-meter-wide runway and 30-meter-wide taxiways, versus 45 and 23 for Group V, which includes the Boeing 747. Airbus initially stated that the A380 would be able to operate safely on Group V runways and taxiways without requiring expansion. In July 2007, the FAA and the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) agreed to allow the A380 to operate runways 45 meters wide without restrictions.

Moscow Domodedovo Airport became the first airport in Russia to be able to receive Airbus A380 aircraft on its runways. Such an order was issued federal agency air transport.

Distances

In 2005, ICAO developed preliminary criteria for observing takeoff and landing intervals, which turned out to be significantly longer than for the Boeing 747, as flight tests showed that the A380 leaves a much stronger turbulent wake. These criteria were in place until ICAO, JAA, Eurocontrol, FAA and Airbus looked into this issue during additional flight testing. In September 2006, the working group presented its findings to ICAO.
In November of the same year, ICAO issued new recommendations. Instead of 10 nautical miles (19 km) for all aircraft types, the new intervals should be:

• For aircraft according to the ICAO classification "Heavy" - 6 nautical miles (11 km).
• For aircraft according to the ICAO classification "Medium" - 8 nautical miles (15 km).
• For aircraft according to the ICAO classification "Light" - 10 nautical miles (19 km).

Modifications

A380-700

The A380-700, formerly known as the A3XX-50R, is a 4m shorter version of the A380-800 with a capacity of up to 481 passengers and a maximum range of around 16,000 km. The prospects for the implementation of this project are very doubtful - the A380-700 will become a direct competitor and is unlikely to collect many orders due to greater cost. Its length is 69 m.

A380-800

base model. A380-841 and 842 versions with Trent 900 engine. A380-861 and A380-862 versions with GP72XX engine. Length 73 meters.

A380-900

The A380-900, formerly known as the Airbus A3XX-200, is under development. It exceeds the length of the base model by just over 7 m (which, if the project is implemented, will make the A380 the longest aircraft in the world) - 80 m. The maximum take-off weight will be 590 tons, more powerful engines will increase the flight distance to 14,200 km. Maximum passenger capacity is 963 in one class and 656 in three classes. Emirates, Air France, Lufthansa and other airlines are interested in the modification. Airbus has stated that they will begin building the aircraft once the A380-800 is in production and plans to begin operations in 2015. It will be released in one version of the A380-941.

A380-1000

The A380-1000, proposed in 2010, will be 87 meters long and will carry 1,073 passengers in one economy class and 757 in three classes. The start of operation is planned for 2020-2025. It will be the longest aircraft and the second largest in the world (the first is the An-225 Mriya). Its wingspan will be 84 meters. It will be released in one version of the A380-1041.

A380-800F

Initially, Airbus accepted orders for a cargo variant. The proposed aircraft was inferior in terms of carrying capacity only to the An-225. However, production was delayed until sales stabilized. passenger version, and currently the timing of the start of production of the cargo version is not called.

Advantages

In addition to delivering a range of benefits from a completely new airframe design, the A380 extends the concept of the Airbus unified aircraft family to the aircraft category beyond large capacity.

Due to the same cockpit layout, identical control procedures and flight characteristics of Airbus aircraft equipped with a fly-by-wire system, pilots already certified to fly one of these types of aircraft will need to undergo a short refresher course in order to be cleared to fly the A380.

Airbus designed the A380 in close collaboration with representatives from 60 of the world's largest airports to ensure that the aircraft enters commercial service with confidence.

Using the A380 is a socially sound and cost-effective way to cope with volume growth passenger traffic and airport congestion.
The alternative would be to increase the departure frequencies of operated aircraft, which would not only require multibillion-dollar investments in new runways, terminals and even airports, but would also cause more congestion and have a more negative impact on the environment.

Airbus' viewpoint on this issue is fully supported by both the broad participation of the global industry air transportation in the work on the A380 program from the very beginning, and, more clearly, the presence of high demand for a new aircraft.

The A380 has been designed with input from the world's major airlines to optimally meet the growing passenger traffic on the world's major long haul routes such as Dubai-London, Sydney-Los Angeles, Tokyo-US West Coast. But in the next 20 years, new segments of the transportation market will emerge and become stronger, which will require large-capacity aircraft to serve. Among them, first of all, China and India, where the economy will develop especially dynamically and more and more more people will be able to fly overseas.

Considering that all most of As the world's population chooses long-haul flights for business and leisure travel, the use of the A380 will enable airlines to carry more passengers without having to pay for additional "slots" in their flight schedules.

The passenger cabin of the Airbus A380 aircraft has two decks and can have two versions. The first option is when the cabin is divided into three classes (first and business class on the upper deck and economy class on the lower deck, thus the capacity is from 516 to 525 people). The second layout option passenger compartment The A380 only provides economy class, located on the upper and lower decks with a capacity of more than 644 people.

Scheme of the salon and the best places

The three-class version of the passenger cabin provides for the location of the first class in front of the upper cabin. It makes no sense to prove that the places here are the most comfortable, and the staff service is no worse than in a five-star hotel. Each seat of the first cabin of the A380 aircraft looks like a closed separate compartment with a convenient door. The passenger seat can be folded out and turned into a comfortable bed. Services such as internet, charging capability mobile devices. In addition, each of these "mini-coupes" has a large comfortable monitor and a mini-bar. For first-class passengers, there are showers (as, for example, on Emirates Airline aircraft), and an exquisite restaurant menu is also provided.

However, it should be noted that in the first class there are places that have their drawbacks. These are seats in the first and fourth rows (according to the diagram), located close to the toilets. Most likely, passengers will visit the toilet at any time of the day, so door noise can seriously interfere with passengers' rest. The close location of the utility rooms also means that staff will very often walk past the first and fourth row seats of the first class, creating additional inconvenience. And of course, in addition to everything, directly opposite the first row of seats is a staircase leading down to the main deck, which also will not help good rest especially at night. Behind the first class seats on the upper deck of the Airbus A380 is business class.

The business class also has very comfortable seats for passengers (though not the same as in the first class). Each place here is equipped with a comfortable armchair, which, if necessary, can be unfolded and turned into a comfortable bed. In addition, there is a good bar here, and the distance between the places allows you to absolutely not worry about legroom. However, in the business class of the A380 aircraft there are places with less comfort. These are, as in the first class, places near the bar and at the toilets - as a rule, in the first and last rows. On the diagram of the upper passenger cabin of the Airbus A380 aircraft, these seats are indicated by rows 6, 21, 22 and 26. As for the first class, the inconvenience of these seats is explained by the heavy flow of passengers to bars and toilets at any time of the day, as well as the movement of attendants. When booking tickets, you should take this factor into account and take the seats in the rows listed above only in cases where there are no more tickets for other seats.

On the lower (or main) deck of the passenger cabin of the Airbus A380, there is an economy class, usually designed for 399 seats and occupying, as a rule, rows with numbers from 43 to 88 (according to the diagram) with two large aisles. Economy class seat backs cannot recline 180 degrees, but they are very soft and comfortable. The distance between the rows is approximately 80 centimeters - according to generally accepted standards. Each economy class seat has its own screen mounted in the front seat and an audio / video system. As well as for seats in other classes, economy class seats are equipped with USB charging systems and the Internet, which, by the way, is paid on the Airbus A380 aircraft.

most successful and comfortable places here are the seats with the letters D, E, F and G, located in rows 45, 54 and 82. The convenience of these seats is due to the fact that there are no seats in front of them, which means there is ample legroom, in addition, toilets, a bar and offices are located quite far from them. Of course, the lack of seats in front does not mean that these places are not equipped with electronic displays for entertainment.

Also very good for rest and review in the economy class are the seats with the letters A and K, located in rows 68 and 81. Their advantage is due to the fact that these seats do not have other seats in front of them, and also because they are located near the windows , which makes them seem to be "aside" from general movement passengers, so they are considered the most profitable and comfortable in the entire economy class.

Seats in rows 43, 52, 67 and 80 are also good. These chairs also have more space in front of them, but at the same time they have a serious drawback, which is the proximity of office space and toilets with all the inconveniences associated with this.

The most unfortunate for the economy class, and therefore for the entire Airbus A380 aircraft, are the seats located in the 88th (backmost) row and the seats marked with the letters C and H. Their inconvenience is, as in many cases, that that the toilets are right behind them. Does not add convenience to these places and the fact that the backs last places blocked, which limits passenger comfort.

History of the Airbus A380

Early 1990s in aviation industry was the time of the complete dominance of the Boeing-747 in the field of wide-body aircraft. Boeing managed to maintain an advantage for almost 30 years, which forced many companies, such as McDonnell Douglas or Lockheed, to look for a solution that could provide a replacement for the Boeing-747 and gain a monopoly in the niche of wide-body airliners.

In the summer of 1994, Airbus began developing its own wide-body aircraft, codenamed A3XX. Initially, options were considered for the possible combination of the two fuselages of the Airbus A340 aircraft. This solution would significantly increase the passenger capacity of the aircraft, since the A340 was at that time the largest aircraft of the company. However, such a decision would also lead to a serious decrease in the flight characteristics of the aircraft, an increase in its mass and the required takeoff run.

The development of the A3XX was carried out in partnership with Boeing, which developed its own Boeing-747X model, also aimed at increasing passenger capacity while reducing operating costs. The partnership ended in 1996. And already in the next 1997, Boeing closed its project due to economic crisis that erupted in East Asia. In the meantime, Airbus decided to use a double-deck design for the A3XX, which would provide the aircraft with a number of advantages.

In December 2000, they decided to launch the A3XX project, which initially required about 8.8 billion euros. The aircraft received a new name - A380. There are many hypotheses explaining why Airbus decided to “jump” from the number 340 directly to 380. For example, one of them says that the number 8 is lucky in a number of Asian countries that were potential customers for the future aircraft.

In the spring of 2001, the design of the Airbus A380 was finally approved, and in early 2002, the production of the first parts for the aircraft began. Released in 4 countries European Union, and the delivery of components to the assembly site in Toulouse was carried out by land and water transport, as well as by air.

At the beginning of 2005, the first Airbus A380 was built and demonstrated in Toulouse, and already in April its first flight was carried out. During testing of the aircraft, in early 2006, flaws in the design of its wing were revealed. After that, the A380 wing arrangement was urgently changed.

Ground and flight tests of the aircraft were completed in December 2007, and the Airbus A380 received certificates from EASA and the FAA.

The device and characteristics of the Airbus A380

The Airbus A380 is a wide-body jet passenger aircraft. The passenger cabin of the aircraft consists of two decks. Due to its size and large capacity, the aircraft is the largest passenger airliner in the world. The power plant of the aircraft consists of 4 engines. Depending on the modification, this is the Trent 900 from Rolls-Royce (for the Airbus A-300-800), or the GP7000 from Engine Alliance (for other modifications of the Airbus).

Characteristics of the Airbus A380 aircraft:

• Length, m - 72.7
• Wingspan, m - 79.8
• Height, m ​​- 24.1
• Wing area, m2 - 845
• Weight:
  • Max. takeoff, kg - 560,000
  • Max. landing, kg - 386,000
  • Empty weight, kg - 276 800
  • Max. weight without fuel, kg - 361,000
• Fuel tank capacity, l - 310,000
• Flight range with max. loading, km - 15 000
• Ceiling (max. flight altitude), m - 13 100
• Takeoff run, m - 2050
• Run length, m - 2 900
• Engines:
  • R-R Trent 970 - 4 x 31780 kgf
  • Alliance GP7270 - 4 x 31780 kgf
• Passenger compartment:
  • Number of seats (one-class version) - 700
  • Number of seats (three-class version) - 555
  • Cabin width, m - 5.9-6.6

Airbus A380 modifications

There are the following modifications of the Airbus A380:

1. Airbus A380-800 - is the basic model of the liner. The A380-841 and A380-842 have the Trent 900 engine. The A380-861 and A380-862 have the GP72XX engine.
2. Airbus A380-800F - cargo modification of the A380 aircraft.
3. Airbus A380-900 is an elongated modification of the liner, which is under development. It will have an increased passenger capacity (more than 900 people) and more powerful engines. Potential buyers will be such airlines as Emirates Airline, Lufthansa and others.
4. The Airbus A380-1000 is a modification that will be larger than the A380-900 and accommodate more than 1,000 passengers. The project was proposed in 2010.

Airbus A380 operation

The operation of the Airbus A380 began in 2007. By the end of 2014, the number of Airbuses was already 139 aircraft, and the number of companies operating the aircraft was 10. Most of the A380 is operated by Emirates Airline (67 aircraft). Other airlines use from 5 to 19 machines of this type, which, of course, cannot be compared with Emirates Airline.

The aircraft can be found mainly on intercontinental flights. Large quantity Airbus is operated by Asian airlines (Emirates Airline, Singapore Airlines, Korean Air and others). Due to operating costs, which are 10-15% less than those for the Boeing-747, the Airbus A380 is a very popular aircraft today. Due to the good price and due to the optimal performance of the A380, Emirates Airline plans to purchase several dozen more aircraft. At the same time, Emirates Airline pays attention to cargo modifications of the Airbus. In addition, the air carrier orders more comfortable liners (for example, with showers for first class).

Conclusion

The Airbus A380 is the largest passenger aircraft in the world, accommodating between 519 and 800 people. Reliability, reduced operating costs compared to other wide-body aircraft and comfort provide this aircraft with good market demand, especially in Asia. The main operator of the aircraft is currently Emirates Airline, which appreciated the airbus. In addition, Emirates Airline, albeit indirectly, helps further modification of the liner, showing interest in its new capabilities.

However, the Airbus Group in December 2014 announced a possible halt in the production of the Airbus A380 aircraft. This is explained by the fact that the demand for this aircraft, according to the company's management, is not large enough.

However, it is worth recognizing that due to its performance and reliability, the Airbus A380 is a really good aircraft.

If you have any questions - leave them in the comments below the article. We or our visitors will be happy to answer them.

In the report, I told a little about the features of the largest passenger liner in the world of the Airbus A380 and its ground handling, in this report I will show what the Lufthansa A380 looks like inside.

The Airbus A380-800 of Lufthansa has the following passenger compartment configuration: upper deck - First class - 8, Business class -98, lower deck - Economy class - 420 seats, i.е. total 526 passenger seats:

The A380 serves 24 crew members: 3 in the cockpit (pilots), 2 senior flight attendants (one for each of the two levels) and 19 flight attendants and flight attendants in the passenger cabin.

The crew boards the aircraft 40-60 minutes before departure and actually 20-30 minutes before boarding passengers. This time I boarded with the crew of the Singapore-Frankfurt flight, the first thing that happens in the cabin is a short pre-flight briefing for the crew. The senior flight attendant informs the team about the number of passengers on the flight, introduces the newcomer, who will join the work on the A380 for the first time, reports working moments. The senior flight attendant this time was a very pleasant and charming woman over 40, who said a very interesting phrase: "Please be extremely polite, attentive with restraint in case of conflict situations, take into account the fact that we checked out in hotel in the evening before the flight (flight at 23.00), and most of the passengers are on their feet in the morning and are already tired from the day." She also thanked the crew for the well-coordinated work on the previous flight from Frankfurt to Singapore, when medical problems arose and they were successfully resolved.

The duration of this briefing is 5-7 minutes, after which all crew members disperse to their workplaces to prepare for boarding the aircraft. The plane arrived at 17.00 and stays at the airport for 6 hours. During this time, airport ground services carry out technical inspection, cabin cleaning, food delivery and clean blankets and pillows. The task of the crew members is to conduct a quick but thorough check before allowing passengers to enter.

Meet Anna Rodney - a crew member who works today in First Class, it is she who will tell me today and show me how everything is going on the other side.

Anna works as quickly as possible, checking the power load.

A little later, an employee of the ground service entered the salon with whom they checked together and signed the documents:

And in just 25-40 minutes, passengers start boarding! I just watched a little from the side - each member of the crew works as quickly as possible, all actions are brought to automaticity!

Let's walk around the salon :)

Economy class:

Of course, the size of the windows is impressive! The windows themselves are of course smaller than their inner part, but still the impression big size There is.
The cabin is much quieter than other planes. High ceilings and spacious hand luggage compartments.

Traditional postcard:

LCD screens in the back of the seat in front:

The control panel is located in the arm of the chair, inconvenient in my opinion, I constantly touched the volume buttons with my elbow:

The entertainment system is good, but significantly inferior to the choice of Emirates and Cathay Pacific:

Business Class:

First grade:

There are only 8 seats, but maximum comfort has been created for passengers. Each airline makes an order for its own cabin layout, Emirates, Singapore Airlines have shower cabins, a bar counter, etc. on board the A380. Lufthansa took a different path - everything is done for maximum comfort, but without frills, like a shower for which you need to carry excess water.

However, Lufthansa First Class has its own characteristics: this cabin has an order of magnitude greater degree of cabin soundproofing, although even in economy it is much quieter than in any other aircraft I have flown. Even in the first class, there is increased air humidity, which significantly reduces overall fatigue during a long flight.

The traditional color tones of Lufthansa are blue and yellow; the interiors of business and economy class cabins are designed in these tones. In First Class, absolutely new modern shades are used in the interior - brown, beige. The same colors are used in the First Class Lounge at the airport. At Frankfurt Airport, for servicing A380 aircraft, gates with two levels of air bridges are specially equipped. Business and first class passengers already at the airport go to the landing on the second floor, get into the business lounge and then immediately to upper deck aircraft upon landing. Thus, they do not meet with economy class passengers.

The interior lining of the cabin is made of artificial material such as velor leather instead of plastic, pleasant to the touch, thereby creating an additional degree of comfort.

Stairs leading to the First Class cabin:

Welcome champagne:

Bose Headphones for First Class Passengers:

Chair control panel:

The wall between the chairs is individually adjustable.

Each passenger has an individual wardrobe:

Window blind adjustment:

Spacious toilet, there are 2 of them in the First Class cabin:

From the point of view of the flight attendant, the A380 has much more space, much more comfortable work.

And this is what the cockpit looks like:

There is also a "compartment" with beds for pilots to rest:

And this is the rest room for the crew. The entrance here is down the stairs from the first class - these are individual niche beds.
Depending on the duration of the flight, the rest time is distributed - after the end of the first stage of the service. On this flight, each flight attendant had a break of 3 hours 45 minutes, which is relatively long, sometimes 45 minutes, the rest of the time on his feet.

Here is such a Lufthansa A380 inside :)

And now the most interesting!
I asked Anna a few questions, to which I received interesting answers, it is always interesting to find out something that does not lie on the surface ...

alexcheban: - How did you get on the A380?
Anna Rodney: - In our airline, everyone who works full-time receives three licenses. I work for the Airbus family, I fly A320s and A340s and, quite logically, A380s. Within the same family of aircraft, everything is located in approximately the same places and has a very similar technical layout.

Can you compare Boeing and Airbus?
- We are told that the type of aircraft on which you start flying is more convenient. I also flew on a Boeing 737, I can say that they have completely different philosophies - Boeing has an American one, Airbus has a European one, European is more logical for me. The Americans, in my opinion, are more conservative and we (the European manufacturer) have more comfort for passengers than Boeing.

What is the occupancy of First Class? Does it happen that there is not a single passenger?
- No, it doesn’t happen, usually 5-7 passengers, today we have all 8.

How long are you in Singapore between flights (flights here daily)?
- 2.5 days

What time do you live at your destination?
- I try to live according to local time, I always translate the clock.

How many flights per month do you operate?
- Accounting is done for flights, and for hours, I need to fly 70 hours a month, respectively, a round-trip flight to Singapore is 30 hours (one-way net flight time is 12.5 hours), i.e. these 30 hours are actually half the monthly norm. My next flight is to Oman, it takes only 4 hours to fly there :)

Arab/Asian airlines dominate the SkyTtax ranking. I was not on board the A380 with them, but I saw the reports. Their main advantage is the emphasis on luxury service in all classes. The maximum possible refinements in interior equipment, etc. Lufthansa positions itself as a carrier from point A to point B and offers a basic service for each of the classes, but at a very high level. On intra-European flights, the new seats are frankly uncomfortable. This is my subjective opinion, but what is your opinion on this?
- I, unfortunately, cannot say much about Arab or Asian airlines, since I have never used their services myself. Lufthansa is a European airline, so it will never decorate the aircraft with gold, etc. Lufthansa is the so-called business carrier - this is also manifested in the choice of destinations (mainly the capitals of different countries, and not resort towns) and in the frequency of flights. The emphasis is on efficiency and exclusivity, as our business and first class customers value luxury in simplicity and sophistication, not in gold and diamonds. Although, perhaps, our most important distinguishing factor is our staff. We have employees from 150 different countries of the world! There are always several so-called regional colleagues on our Asian flights - Chinese (on all flights to China), Japanese (on flights to Japan), Thais (on flights to Thailand and Singapore), Indians (on Indian flights), Koreans (on flights to Korea). During the order and configuration of the A380 for Lufthansa, a survey was conducted among first-class passengers on the subject of a shower cabin. The majority voted, so to speak, for a spacious bathroom without a shower. Yes, Emirates offer a walk-in shower, but I honestly don't know how much it's in demand. Probably the whole point is to have it or not to have it. Firstly, in order to use it, passengers must put themselves on the list, and who wants to be the first? After all, everyone wants to use it before landing, and not 3-4 hours before it ...???

As for the new seats on European flights, they are much lighter and thus save fuel, plus they have been designed to ergonomic standards, meaning improved seating comfort. You can judge how comfortable they are - I have only flown them as a passenger so far only 2 times. We hear mostly positive comments, and if someone complains, it’s not about the seats, but about the fact that they removed the wardrobe for outerwear in the business class.....

What are the features of working at Lufthansa?
- We have very good conditions work, especially compared to American ones, we live in excellent central hotels in cities, we have a lot of time between flights and in general very good conditions.

You pointed out the good company policy towards your employer towards American airlines. What about Asian/Arabic? Do you have friends there? Their impressions?
- I have a few acquaintances who worked for Asian/Arab airlines. Arab airlines, as far as I know, pay very well, but do not provide decent working conditions, so many work for them for several years, and then switch to European lines. Still, the difference is very much felt in the attitude of Arab passengers to the staff and in relation to Europeans. As for the Asian ones, the Europeans do not quite get used to their hierarchical way of life (many pilots live in others, best hotels than flight attendants), plus they can’t cope with mentality problems: in Asia, no one criticizes anyone openly - everything happens behind their backs, which is not very pleasant for our brother ...

A feature of the dress code at the Emirates is a lipstick of a certain red color. Does Lufthansa have any such interesting feature in a dress code or some interesting instruction?
- We do not have such a feature, except that we are obliged to comply with the rules for wearing a uniform. We are forbidden to dye our hair in unnatural colors - like red there or green ....

How is it determined who is in what class on a given flight?
- Distribution of positions occurs at will in accordance with the so-called seniority list - the list is compiled according to the criterion of who has been working in the company for a longer period - chooses first, etc.

The crew of the flight is 24 people. Do you know everyone? How does the rotation work?
- Before the flight, we all meet for a mandatory briefing - there we get to know each other and determine who and where will work

What documentation do you complete before/during/after the flight?
- We fill out the documentation depending on the flight - on most flights there is no documentation for us.

If someone gets sick while in another country between flights, how does the replacement work? And if it's a PIC or a co-pilot?
- We have a doctor in every country we fly to, with whom Lufthansa has signed a contract and whom we call when necessary. If a crew member is unable to fly back, a replacement is sent on the next flight.

Everything is standardized/automated in aircraft control now, but do you still feel the difference in the piloting technique/takeoffs and landings of different pilots?
- Lufthansa pilots always take off and land manually, so yes, the difference is felt in the landing.

Pilots on post-Soviet space do not say the word "last", replacing it with the word "extreme". Do you have any superstitions?
- The Germans are not a superstitious people and rely on knowledge and experience, not on superstition. :-) Therefore, no, there are no superstitions.

What is the most positive/negative part of your job? In outline:)
- Our work is very interesting - we are always in different countries, meet and greet interesting people and we go to places where not everyone gets (for example, in Saudi Arabia, where unmarried women are not allowed to enter). At the same time, it is not always easy to cope with the time difference. Plus, there are countries where the political situation is not very stable (mainly in Africa) or hygienic conditions leave much to be desired…..

Do you have colleagues who work in budget companies? What is your opinion on this matter? Do you use the services of budget carriers in any cases?
- No, we have no connections with them, and I don't have anyone among my acquaintances who would work in such a company.

What directions do you like the most?
- Personally, I like to fly to the South America - Argentina, Columbia, etc. I am quite fluent in Spanish, and in terms of mentality, it seems to me, they are closer to the Slavs, so I feel very comfortable there!

I thank Anna Rodney for an amazing tour and interesting conversation! :)

The official page of the A380 Lufthansa.

When you fly on a new type of aircraft, literally everything interests you. And in the cockpit, the holy of holies of the aircraft, it is doubly interesting to visit. Why doubly? Yes, because in domestic aviation it is a forbidden taboo. Boarding the Airbus A380 Emirates airlines I immediately noticed open doors cockpit and asked the flight attendant: "Can I take some pictures?"...

Imagine my surprise when she replied: “No problem, only after the end of the flight!!!” And now the flight is over, the passengers leave the board of the hospitable liner. I again to the stewardess with a question. We had to wait until almost all the passengers got off, since our docking allowed us not to rush anywhere. And here I am in the cockpit of the biggest passenger aircraft in the world! There was practically no time for shooting: I went in, took pictures and left. Since I shot without a flash, I insured myself by pushing the ISO to the limit and, as a result, the grain went. Looks like I need to experiment more...

The cabin of the aircraft, as is customary at all passenger aircraft designed for two pilots. And its layout is typical for Airbus aircraft: the same side handle, only there are more monitors and they themselves are larger (20x15). Same design and colors. All for the sake of ergonomics and reducing the cost of retraining.
But still there are differences! A wide passage behind the pilot seats and three folding seats (similar to those on which stewards and stewardesses sit during takeoff with 4-point seat belts: one to the left of the front door and two to the right, and between them there is a folding desktop. When performing long-range flights (and a flight to Sydney, lasting 14-15 hours, belongs to them) two crews fly. special compartment for the rest of the crew: there they sleep! And this space with seats and a work table allows you to optimize the in-flight crew change procedure. Inspection specialists also fly there, as well as instructors during the commissioning of the PIC and the second pylon on new type aircraft. In short, a good place to fly with a small group! It would be nice to have a flight there to prepare the material for LiveJournal, then process the photographic material on the computer and prepare the text, and publish it via a satellite channel! How do you like the idea???