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Airbus A380 is a double-deck wide-body jet passenger aircraft created by Airbus S.A.S. (previously Airbus Industry). A380 can make non-stop flights at a distance of up to 15,200 km. Its length is 73 meters, height 24 meters, wingspan 79.8 meters, has 4 engines. The capacity of the Airbus A380 is 525 passengers in a three-class cabin, 853 passengers in a single-class configuration. A380 is the most economical among big liners(consumes 3 liters of fuel per passenger per 100 kilometers).

To date (summer 2010) Airbus A380 is the largest passenger airliner in the world, surpassing the Boeing 747 in capacity, which can carry up to 467 passengers (the Boeing 747 was the largest airliner for 35 years, but the absolute record for commercial use still belongs).

There is also a cargo modification A380F with the ability to carry cargo up to 150 tons over a distance of up to 10,400 km. The maximum takeoff weight is 560 tons (the weight of the aircraft itself is 280 tons).

The development of the A380 took about 10 years, the cost of the entire program is about 12 billion euros. Airbus S.A.S. claims that the corporation needs to sell 420 aircraft to recover its costs, although some analysts estimate that the figure should be much higher.

The most difficult part, according to the developers, in the creation of the aircraft was the problem of reducing its weight. It was solved through the widespread use of composite materials. Advanced technologies and improved aluminum alloys were also used to reduce the weight of the aircraft. Thus, an 11-ton center section for 40% of its mass consists of carbon fiber. The top and side panels of the fuselage are made from Glare hybrid material. On the lower fuselage panels, laser welding of stringers and skin was used, which significantly reduced the number of fasteners.

According to Airbus S.A.S., per passenger, the A380 burns 17% less fuel than the “largest aircraft today” (apparently referring to the Boeing 747). The less fuel burned, the lower the emissions carbon dioxide. For an aircraft, CO2 emissions per passenger are only 75 grams per kilometer. This is almost half the CO2 emissions standard set by the European Union for cars manufactured in 2008.

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 stated that the A380 was performing better than expected and consuming 20% ​​less fuel per passenger than the company's. The second A380 for "" (MSN005) was handed over to Airbus on January 11, 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 called 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) "" (the second airline to order the A380) made its first flight. Qantas 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.

The first aircraft powered by the GP7270 engine from Engine Alliance (ordered by "") made its first flight on September 4, 2007. It should be delivered to Emirates Airline in September 2008 and make its first flight to New York on October 1, 2008, to London on December 1, and to Auckland via Sydney on February 1, 2009. announced that it intends to open the following routes for its A380s in the future: Paris-Montreal, New York.

As of March 2008, Airbus had completed 27 A380s and was expecting the first aircraft with a new electrical system (which replaces the old one that was one of the reasons for the massive program delays). This aircraft made its first flight in last days March 2008.

Video: First flight of the Airbus A380

Commercial operation currently

As of June 2010, the A380 aircraft are in the fleet of five airlines.

• The airline uses the A380 for flights from Singapore to Sydney, London (Heathrow Airport), Paris (Charles de Gaulle Airport), Tokyo (Narita Airport), Zurich.
• The airline uses the A380 on the routes Sydney-Los Angeles, Sydney-Singapore-London, Melbourne-Los Angeles.
• The airline uses the A380 on routes from Dubai to London, Bangkok, Toronto, Sydney, Auckland, Seoul and plans to launch A380 flights to Rome, Beijing, Singapore and Jeddah in 2010.
• The airline uses the A380 on the route from Paris to New York, Johannesburg, Boston, London.
• From June 11, 2010, the airline will use the A380 on routes from Frankfurt to Tokyo, Beijing and Johannesburg.

Incidents

• November 4, 2010 Airbus aircraft A380 (registration number VH-OQA) of the Australian airline Qantas, operating flight QF32 on the Singapore-Sydney route, shortly after takeoff (according to various sources, after 6-15 minutes) there was a serious failure of engine No. 2, accompanied by partial destruction of the engine nacelle and, probably, of the engine (Rolls-Royce Trent 900). During a two-hour flight over Indonesia, the aircraft ran out of fuel to reach the maximum allowable landing weight, after which it made forced landing in Singapore, none of the 440 passengers and 26 crew were injured.
• January 10, 2008 - A Singapore Airlines A380 was unable to fly from Singapore to Sydney due to a tractor failure. Due to the failure of the hydraulic system of the tractor, he disconnected from the aircraft. The liner continued to move by inertia for some time, moved off the runway and rolled onto the lawn. As a result of the incident, no one was injured. A380, according to an airline spokesman, did not receive any significant damage.
• September 27, 2009 - An Airbus A380 that flew from Paris to Singapore returned to the airport. French capital after an engine failure. The Singapore Airlines plane took off from Paris at 12:30 local time on Sunday (14:30 Moscow time), but after 2 hours and 45 minutes, the pilots decided to turn the plane around. According to preliminary data, one of the four engines. Subsequently, the airbus, carrying 444 people, landed successfully in Paris, none of the passengers were injured.
• February 22, 2010 - An Air France Airbus A380 that flew without passengers from New York to Paris returned to the airport of departure due to a fuel system problem. The aircraft was on its way to Paris Roissy airport for maintenance. “The malfunctions are related to the operation of the fuel system,” an Air France spokesman said.
• March 31, 2010 - Airbus liner A380-800 owned by Qantas, flying from Singapore to Sydney, during landing at Sydney airport, two rear tires on the left landing gear were destroyed. Fire and sparks in the chassis on the run were noticed from the ground and informed the crew about the possible evacuation of passengers. However, the evacuation was later cancelled. Due to damage to the landing gear, the plane could not be immediately driven to the platform, so the passengers were disembarked directly on the runway. Sources at Qantas said that the cause of the damage to the tires was the blocking of the brakes at the moment the aircraft touched the ground.

Sectional view of the A380 fuselage

Total number of orders for the A380 (by year)

Flight performance

Airbus A380 (Airbus A380) is the largest aircraft of Airbus S.A.S. ( European Union) and the largest passenger aircraft in the world. This is the world's first long-haul civil aircraft with two full-size decks along the entire length of the fuselage. The decks are connected by two wide staircases in the bow and tail sections.

The liner can make non-stop flights over a distance of 15,000 kilometers and take on board a third more passengers than the Boeing 747.
The Airbus A380 is the most economical among large airliners: three liters of fuel are consumed per 100 kilometers per passenger.
The main competitor of this model is the Boeing 747.

First flight - April 27, 2005.
The first aircraft sold - MSN003, registration number 9V-SKA, was delivered to Singapore Airlines on October 15, 2007. The first commercial transcontinental flight with passengers (flight from Singapore to Australia, flight number - SQ380, there were 455 people on board) - October 25, 2007.

The Airbus A380 has 12 single suites and several double suites.
The suites are equipped with a bed, wardrobe, reading lights, a mirror and a 23-inch TV. At the request of airlines, bars, billiard rooms, showers, a library and a conference room can be made on the first floor of the liner.
The cost of a flight from London to Singapore in luxury class (for 2005) is about $10,000.

For first-class passengers, pajamas with slippers are provided, it is possible to close the windows and the cabin door with special curtains.
The cost of one airliner (for 2005) is $281 million, which is 15 percent cheaper than a double-deck Boeing 747.

The number of assembled A380 liners (as of March 2008) is 27.
As of March 2009, the A380 aircraft are in the fleet of three airlines: Singapore Airlines, Qantas Airways, and Emirates.

The first airport in Russia, which agreed to accept the Airbus A380, is Moscow's Domodedovo.

History of creation

The development of the liner began in 1994 under the code A3XX and continued for 10 years. The designation A380 was chosen because the number 8 resembles the cross-section of this double-deck aircraft.

The cost of the program is 12 million euros. The most difficult part of the project was the problem of reducing the weight of the aircraft. This was achieved through the use of a new composite material from which the fuselage and wings are made.

Already at the design stage, 55 orders were received from 6 customers.
The final configuration of the aircraft was approved in January 2001. Production of the first A380 wing components began on January 23, 2002.

The main structural sections of the airliner were built at enterprises in France, Germany, Spain, and Great Britain.
Components for the A380 were supplied by: Rolls-Royce, SAFRAN, United Technologies, General Electric, Goodrich and other well-known companies.

The most ambitious project of the European aircraft manufacturer brought him big problems. The main faults were found in the electrical wiring of the aircraft. For each aircraft, 100,000 wires and 40,300 connectors were required, which is about 530 kilometers of electrical wiring. Problems were solved within two years.

The A380 has an improved glass cockpit and electric remote control of the rudders linked to the side stick. Information display devices are located in the cockpit: nine interchangeable liquid crystal monitors, including two navigation data indicators, two main flight data indicators, two engine operation indicators, two multifunctional ones. Another monitor displays information about current state the entire system as a whole.

After assembly, the aircraft were equipped and painted in Hamburg. Each liner (3,100 square meters) requires 3,600 liters of paint to cover.

To service the A380, special terminals are needed for boarding passengers.
The runway pavement load was measured using a custom 580-ton load cart built to mimic the A380 chassis. For the Airbus A380, lanes of group V are sufficient - 45 meters, their expansion to the estimated 60 meters is not required.

Five A380s were built for demonstration and testing purposes.
On September 4, 2006, the first flight test of the A380 took place with passengers on board. The purpose of the flight was to test the comfort and quality of passenger services. The plane took off from Toulouse with 474 employees of Airbus S.A.S. on board.
In November 2006, test flights took place in order to check the aircraft's performance under standard airline operating conditions.
The start of operation of the A380 was delayed for almost two years due to a number of technical problems, which cost Airbus 8.5 billion euros.

Specifications of the Airbus A380

The liner has four engines - Rolls-Royce Trent 900 or Engine Alliance GP 7000.
The noise level in the cockpit of the A380 is 50 percent lower than that of the Boeing 747. Higher air pressure is maintained inside the aircraft. According to the developers, these characteristics will reduce passenger fatigue during long non-stop flights.

Dimensions:
Wingspan: 79.80 meters.
Aircraft length: 73.00 meters.
Aircraft height: 24.10 meters.
Wing area: 845.00 square meters.
Wing sweep angle along the 1/4 chord line (degrees): 33.50.

Number of places:
Passengers in the cabin of three classes: 555.
Passengers in the cabin of two classes: 644.
Passengers in the charter version: 853.

Masses and loads:
Takeoff: 560 tons.
Empty equipped aircraft: 276.8 tons.
Aircraft without fuel: 361 tons.
Toll load: 66.4 tons.
Landing: 386 tons.

Flight data:
Cruise speed: 900 kilometers per hour.
Flight range with passengers and baggage (with fuel reserves): 15,000 kilometers.
Operating ceiling: 13,000 meters.

Incidents

On January 10, 2008, a Singapore Airlines A380 was unable to fly from Singapore to Sydney due to a tractor failure. The liner continued to move by inertia for some time, then moved off the runway and rolled onto the lawn. As a result of the incident, no one was injured, the aircraft was not damaged.

Promising modifications of the A380

It is planned to create the following passenger modifications: A380-800 for 555 seats, shortened A380-700 for 480 seats and extended A380-900 for 656 seats. A cargo modification of the A380F has also been developed, capable of carrying cargo with a total weight of up to 150 tons over a distance of up to 10,400 kilometers.
Employees of the Airbus ECAR Engineering Center in Moscow have already completed a number of important tasks under the A380F program.
Russian designers were instructed to carry out a significant amount of work on the design of fuselage parts, strength calculations, placement of onboard equipment and support for serial production of aircraft.

is an airline owned by the United United Arab Emirates. It has 38 of the largest passenger liners in the world at its disposal. The cabins of all aircraft are divided into 2 types, between which there are minor differences.

In most aircraft, there is a scheme characteristic of the Airbus A380. It is designed for 14 First Class passengers in rows 1 to 4, 76 Business Class passengers in rows 6 to 26, and 399 Economy Class passengers in rows 43 to 88.

The difference of another layout is in the number of economy class seats (there are 7 more of them) and in the numbering of rows. Therefore, before buying, be sure to check with the airline employee the location of a particular seat. In order to find out exactly what layout will be on your flight, you can.

The A380 has 2 floors. The first floor accommodates first and business class passengers, while the first floor is reserved for economy class travelers.

Let's look at the layout of the Emirates Airbus A380-800 cabin, find out where the good / bad seats are.

First grade

Rows 1-4 designed for first class. These places are distinguished by extraordinary comfort. Each passenger is accommodated in an individual compartment with a door, equipped with a 180-degree folding seat, a large screen, sockets, internet, individual lighting and a mini-bar.

VIP passengers are provided with an exquisite menu, showers and service at the level of a five-star hotel.

But some places are less comfortable than others. The passengers of the first and fourth rows are located close to the toilet and kitchen, which is some discomfort. Passengers warn that during a night flight, the lights that are constantly burning in the technical rooms and the sounds that come from them interfere with a peaceful rest.

Business Class

Business class passengers 6-26 rows. All places are distinguished by considerable comfort. Armchairs easily turn into comfortable beds.

However, it is still better not to purchase tickets for rows 7, 20, 21 and 23, as it will not be very comfortable to sit on them due to the proximity of the bar, toilets or kitchen. Passengers are constantly moving to the technical premises, disturbing the peace.

If you want to rest during the flight, you should not choose places marked in yellow.

Economy class

The first floor is at the disposal of passengers who purchase economy class tickets. 399 seats have been allocated for them in rows 43-88.

Each seat has its own monitor, charging socket, individual USB port. There is also an audio and video entertainment system. By making an additional payment, you can connect to the Internet.

The rows are spaced 80 centimeters apart. This row spacing is standard for economy class.

IN 43 row thanks to the wall there is more legroom than usual. In addition, no one will recline the backs of the seats on the passengers of this row. But despite some advantages, there are also significant disadvantages. As with all front rows, the armrests are locked.

Nearby is a staircase that leads to the second deck with a technical room located below it, intended for onboard conductors. In this room, the lights never turn off and the flight attendants and stewards are constantly heard walking.

In addition, passengers go to the nearby toilet both day and night. In addition to everything, the sound that is heard during the opening and closing of the magnetic fastener that blocks the movement to the upper deck does not allow you to sleep peacefully. All of these shortcomings create significant inconvenience.

Bottom line, very busy places.

IN 45 row there are additional benefits in the form of increased legroom.

50 row (A, B, C and H, J, K) located just before the first block emergency exits. The backs of the seats here can be fixed or slightly limited in reclining.

Passengers 51 rows also will not be able to recline the seat backs to the end, as they rest against the wall of the galley. Agree, a long flight in a sitting position can cause a lot of discomfort.

Passengers who have purchased tickets for seats 54A and 55A, get a little less space for the location of the legs, due to the audio and video entertainment server located under the seat in front.

Seats in row 54 (D, E, F, G) are also among the most comfortable. Here you can freely stretch your legs, there is a normal view ahead and no one will recline the back of the chair on you. Plus, the kitchen is located in front, and not the restrooms, as in the 67th row, which is still a little better.

Although extraneous smells and sounds will accompany you during the entire flight.

There are some shortcomings in places located in 65, 66, 78 and 79 rows. These include close proximity to restrooms, causing anxiety and the inability to fully recline the chair.

Seats in 67 and 80 rows, are equipped with additional free space for legs and knees. These seats are recommended for those who travel together, as there are only 2 seats in a row. But the close location of the restrooms disrupts the rest, as passengers constantly go to them and sometimes stand in lines.

Outstanding comfort seats 68 and 81 rows (A and K) thanks to the missing chair.

IN 82 row available extra bed for the legs, but immediately opposite is the galley.

Seats 87 rows (C, H) not very comfortable. The proximity of the toilet creates some discomfort during the flight: passengers constantly walk past, touching their elbows or stepping on their feet.

Places of the last 88 rows are the most restless and uncomfortable. There is no way to comfortably relax, as the backs of the seats do not recline. In addition, there are toilets and stairs nearby, which greatly complements the inconvenience. Therefore, it is highly undesirable to purchase tickets for this series.

Photos Airbus cabin 380-800 Emirates

The photos below were taken by passengers.

First class interior photo

Airbus A380 is the largest aircraft in the world. More precisely, a passenger plane.

The height of this giant is 24 meters (~ 8th floor of a residential building), the length and wingspan are almost 80 meters each. On 2 decks in the cabin of three classes, 525 passengers are freely accommodated, in a single-class configuration - 853!

The development of the Airbus A380 spent 12 billion euros. It can make non-stop flights over a distance of up to 15,400 km, and the maximum take-off weight of the aircraft is amazing - 560 tons.

welcome aboard the biggest passenger aircraft in the world!

At the beginning of October, another dream related to aviation came true. Airline Lufthansa invited on a press tour to show one of her new Airbus aircraft A380. The demonstration flight took place as part of the promotional campaign for the A380 show in European capitals.

It was possible not only to board the scheduled A380, but also to make a circular trip on a giant plane on the route Frankfurt - Prague - Budapest - Frankfurt, to stay with the pilots in the cockpit and film the work of the pilots during takeoff, flight and landing.

In ordinary life, these giants will not land at any such airport, so many people were waiting for the arrival of the A380 in the capitals of the Czech Republic and Hungary. Looking ahead, I will say that I did not even expect such solemn meetings and such a large number of spectators.

"Our" A380 had just arrived from Johannesburg and while the cleaning team was putting the salons in order. At this time, the co-pilot walked with a flashlight and examined the engine blades:

The sun came up, it was time for us to fly:

The first floor of the aircraft modification A380-800- these are three economy class cabins for 420 passengers. In total, such an A380 takes on board 526 passengers. By the end of the year, Lufthansa will already have 8 of the 18 ordered aircraft of these aircraft. The company invests about five billion euros in aircraft and airport infrastructure, maintenance, and crew training.

passenger seats for the economy class "Lufthansa" was developed by the famous German company Recaro. To be honest, I didn’t really like them - the backs are too thin and any movement in front of the seated passenger affects the comfort of the seated one.

Well done design portholes. With their standard external dimension inside the aircraft, they look large due to the enlarged internal frame. This large oval gives the impression open space inside the salon.

The plane is very "quiet", the engines are almost inaudible. I was surprised by the short takeoff run - I followed the takeoff in Budapest, I thought that we would run for a long time along the runway, and the plane took off almost immediately.

The multimedia center with a 9″ screen is very good. In addition to the standard set with music, movies and games, the monitor displays a picture from three external cameras and full information about the flight. Seat spacing 79 cm, seat width 52 cm:

For the duration of the flight, the aircraft cabins were completely at our disposal - it was possible to walk everywhere, sit, lie down, press buttons, climb into all holes.

Standard sets for breakfast and lunch were demonstrated. Special thanks for the metal appliances in Lufthansa economy class, of course. It would be high time for Aeroflot to switch to them.

For the convenience of photographing, he asked the flight attendant to turn on full lighting in the cabins. Not much better, but still:

On the second floor- two business class lounges. They say that these seats do not really like the company's management and they will be changed. There are 98 of them here - incredible amount for private passenger liner. The set of options is standard for a modern business class - almost horizontal unfolding, individual light, socket and USB port for each:

Business class monitors size 10.6″, distance between chairs from 145 to 152 cm, seat width 67 cm:

Between the business class and first class cabins there is a huge vestibule with a kitchen and seats for flight attendants:

The subject of special pride of any serious airline - first class cabin. In the A380 Lufthansa, it is designed for eight passengers. Here everything is done practically, but without frills, like separate cabins. Eight chairs transforming into beds, each seat has a 17″ monitor. Seat spacing 213 cm, seat width 80 cm:

Lufthansa calls these chairs the best in their class:

Each first class passenger has his own wardrobe for clothes and belongings:

First class passengers have two such toilet rooms. There is no soul here, the Germans consider it superfluous, according to their experience, few people use a shower cabin during a flight.

A flight from Frankfurt to Tokyo and back will cost a first-class passenger 10,000 euros:

So we fly to Prague. They are already ready for the solemn meeting of the A380 megaliner:

Lufthansa chief pilot Werner Knorr:

The cockpit equipment resembles that installed in the A330 or A321 - in front of the pilots there is only a keyboard and a joystick on the side:

There are hundreds of people below, along the entire landing route - people are standing on the field, on the hillocks, on the roofs of houses:

I asked one of the Czech photographers at the airport to send me a couple of shots of our flight. Thank you Vojtech.

The cost of one A380 is $345 million.

To the right of the entrance to the cockpit is the crew cabin:

On the second floor you can climb two stairs - in front and behind the economy class:

A380 at Budapest Airport:

It took about 10 years to develop the A380, the cost of the entire program was about 12 billion euros. Airbus says it needs to sell 420 aircraft to recoup its costs, although some analysts estimate the figure should be much higher.

According to the developers, the most difficult part in the creation of the aircraft was the problem of reducing its weight. This was achieved through the use of a new and revolutionary composite material. The fuselage and wings are made of it. As a result, 40% of the A380 consists of carbon fiber.

Story

Development

Vessel, section transporter A380 Ville de Bordeaux

The front and rear sections of the fuselage were loaded by horizontal loading on the Airbus-owned vessel "Ville de Bordeaux", in Hamburg (Northern Germany), from where they were sent to the UK. The wing consoles were manufactured in Filton (Bristol) and Bravtin (North Wales), then delivered by barge to Mastin where "Ville de Bordeaux" immersed them, along with existing sections, on board the vessel. Then, for some more sections, the ship entered Sant-Nazari (Western France), and after that the ship was unloaded in Bordeaux. The ship then received the lower fuselage and tail sections at Cadiz ( Southern Spain) and delivered them to Bordeaux. From there parts of the A380 were transported to Liangong (Girondie) and then by land to the assembly plant in Toulouse. To deliver parts of the A380, some roads were widened, new canals and barges were built. After all, the planes went to Hamburg, where they were equipped and painted. It takes 3600 liters of paint to cover 3100 m² of cladding.

Testing

A380 (MSN001) landing after first flight

Five A 380s were built for demonstration and testing purposes. The first A 380, serial number MSN001 and registration F-WWOW, was unveiled at a ceremony in Toulouse on January 18, 2005. The 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. December 1, 2005 A 380 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.

A380 making a banked U-turn (Germany, 2006)

On January 10, 2006, the A 380 made its first transatlantic flight, taking off from Medellin, Colombia to test the aircraft for operation at a high altitude airport, and landing in Iqaluit, the capital of Nunavut, Canada, for cold weather testing. weather conditions.
At the beginning of the year, during static tests at the aircraft factory in Toulouse, the wing of one of the A380 (MSN5000) unexpectedly cracked, without waiting for the design load to be reached. The destruction of the structure occurred when the load reached 147% of the nominal, while according to aviation safety standards, it must withstand a load of 150% of the nominal. The management of the Airbus consortium decided to make changes to the design of the A380 wing, which made it possible to increase its strength. The reinforcing elements together increased the weight of the aircraft airframe by 30 kg, of which 14 kg fell on the 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 evacuated in 78 seconds, less than the 90 seconds required by 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 (it was 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, many test flights took place to verify the aircraft's performance under standard airline operating conditions. On December 12, the A380-841 and A380-842 models received certificates from EASA and the FAA at a joint ceremony at the French headquarters of the company 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 validation and demonstration flights.

Problems with production and delivery

Initial 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 laying the wiring in the cockpit (100,000 wires and 40,300 connecting wires), the fact that this is a separate, parallel project that must meet the requirements of the customer from each airline, control over design changes, and control over technical changes. documentation. The German and Spanish Airbus factories continued to use CAD.
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 would have been reduced to just 7 aircraft, and by the end of 2009 to 80-70. The announcement caused the stock to drop 26%. 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, it is planned to build 13 aircraft, in 2009 25 aircraft, and from 2010 it is planned to establish an annual production rate of 45 aircraft. The delay also increased the revenue shortfall projected by Airbus through 2010 to €4.8 billion.
As Airbus prioritized the A380-800 over the A380-800F (cargo version), orders for the A380-800F were either canceled (UPS Airlines) or switched to A380-800 (UAE, ILFC). Airbus has suspended work on the freighter, but has stated that the A380 freighter is still in the pipeline, at least as of March 2008 Airbus had no set release date for the freighter version.

Commissioning

The first aircraft sold (MSN003, registration number: 9V-SKA) was delivered to the customer on October 15, 2007 after a long acceptance test phase and entered service on October 25, 2007, making a 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 by 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 3 aircraft, it was decided to expand the number of air routes, 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" received by the company from April 26 (9V-SKD) has been flying on the Singapore-Tokyo route since May 20. Singapore Airlines called the following promising routes: Singapore-San Francisco, direct flights to Paris and Frankfurt, the route Hong Kong, Melbourne - Singapore.

Project

A380 cross-section showing economy seating arrangement

The new airbus will be sold in two modifications. Modification А380-800 was originally designed to carry 555 passengers in a configuration with three comfort classes, or 853 passengers (538 per main deck and 315 on upper deck) in a single economy class 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 15200 km. Second, cargo, modification А380-800F will be able to transport up to 150 tons of cargo over a distance of up to 10,400 km. Future options may include A380-900 with an increased number of seats - up to 656 passengers (or up to 960 passengers with a single economy class), and modifications with an increased flight range with the same passenger capacity as the A380-800.

The A380's wing size is designed for a maximum takeoff weight in excess of 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 Boeing 747. 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

Cockpit A380

Airbus uses similar cockpit layouts, procedures and flight characteristics in other aircraft to reduce crew training costs. The A380 has an improved glass cockpit and electric remote control of the rudders connected to the side control stick. Cockpit information display devices 8 20X15 cm LCD monitors, each of which is identical to each other and interchangeable. Of the 9 monitors - 2 navigation data indicators, 2 - main flight data indicators, 2 engine operation indicators, 1 displays data on the current state of the entire system as a whole and 2 multifunctional ones.

Engines

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

The A380 can be equipped with two types of engines: the A380-841, A380-842 and A380-843F with the Rolls-Royce Trent 900 engine, and the A380-861 and A380-863F with the 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 the four engines have 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

Improved Materials

In the design of the Airbus A380, composite materials are widely used - 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.

Aviation architecture

Systems

Conditions for passengers

The noise level in the cockpit 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 a Boeing 747-400 in a standard three-class configuration, but has 50% more cabin space and volume, resulting in a per passenger more space. 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).

Infrastructure Integration

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 Boeing 777, 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.

Takeoff and landing

Russian involvement

Russian specialists also contributed to the creation of this giant. This is, first of all, titanium round and flat products, without which a modern aircraft cannot do. Today, over 55% of the concern's need for titanium is provided by the Verkhnesalda Metallurgical Production Association (VSMPO).

Employees of the Airbus ECAR Engineering Center in Moscow also took part in the creation of the A380F - the first design office, created by the concern in Europe outside the territories of its member countries in June 2003. Russian designers perform a significant amount of work on the design of fuselage parts, strength calculations, placement of on-board equipment and support for serial production of aircraft. The center has already completed a number of important tasks under the A380F program.

Orders and deliveries

Total orders for A380

Sixteen customers placed orders for the A380, including leasing company International Lease Finance Corporation and one VIP order. As of February 3, 2009, 200 aircraft have been ordered. Initially, 27 orders were made for the A380-800F cargo modification, which were then either canceled (20) or replaced by passenger version A380-800 (7) due to production delays and subsequent suspension of the cargo version program. Airbus delivered 12 aircraft to customers in 2008 and plans to deliver 21 aircraft in 2009 .

Orders and deliveries by years