Maiden Flight: Wednesday, April 27, 2005
IOC: Monday, October 15, 2007
Total Production: 235
Total Program's Cost: USD$43 billion
Production: 211
Unitary Cost: USD$270 million
Also Known As:
A380 Flying Palace (VIP version), A380-800, A3XX, SuperJumbo
Origin:France, Germany, United Kingdom
Contractor/s:
Airbus
Description:
The Airbus A380 is a twin-deck , four aisle airliner developed to meet the requirements of 21st century commercial aviation required by airlines, airport and airworthiness authorities. As a Result of that, the A380 introduces new standards of comfort, fuel consumption effectiveness, environmental impact and, more importantly, reduced congestion from today's airports traffic.
Using a three-class interior layout, a single A380 aircraft will be able to carry up to 555 passengers over a range of up to14,800 km. This high capacity will enable Airbus to compete with Boeing for the large aircraft segment.
Airbus expects to develop larger and longer range members of the A380 family of commercial aircraft. They will powered by Rolls-Royce Trent 900 and Engine Alliance (General Electric + Pratt & Whitney) GP7000 engines families.
To Date, Qatar Airways (December 2003, 2 A380s to be delivered in early 2009), Korean Air (June 2003, 5 A380-800s plus 3 as options), Emirates (June 2003, 39 A380s), Malaysia Airlines (January 2003, 5 A380s), Virgin Atlantic (April 2001, 6 A380s), Lufthansa (December 2001, 15 A380s), Intl Lease Finance Corporation (ILFC) (10), Qantas (12), Singapore Airlines(10) and Air France (10) have already ordered the Airbus A380 airliner.
In July 2003, Etihad Airways from United Arab Emirates signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Airbus for four double-decked A380-800 airliners along with four A340-500s, four A340-600s and 12 A330-200s to respond to its planned future growth.
On January 18, 2005, the first Airbus A380 was unveiled at Airbus' facilities in Toulouse, France. The president of France, Jacques Chirac, the German chancellor, Gerhard Schroeder, and the prime ministers of Great Britain and Spain, Tony Blair and Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero, were present at the ceremony which marked an important milestone for the A380 program and Airbus company.
China Southern Airlines Company Limited and China Aviation Supplies Imp. & Exp. Group Corporation (CASGC) signed a general terms agreement for the purchase of five Airbus A380 four-engine, double-decker airplanes in Paris, France, on January 28, 2005.
The first production Airbus A380 airplane made its maiden flight seamlessly powered by four Trent 900 engines on Wednesday, April 27, 2005. The aircraft took off from Blagnac International Airport in Toulouse, France, and returned safely after a flight that lasted for four hours.
On 15 June 2005, Indian carrier Kingfisher Airlines placed an order with Airbus for five A330-200s to operate on regional routes; five A350-800s; and five double-deck A380-800s. Kingfisher Airlines will use the A350s and A380s on international routes. Deliveries of the A330s were planned to begin in the third quarter of 2007. Kingfisher will take delivery of the first A380 in 2010 and the first A350 in 2012.
The second Airbus A380-800 powered by four Rolls Royce Trent 900 engines took to the air October 18, 2005. The flight took place successfully over the region of Toulouse in the South West of France. The first GP7200-powered A380 got airborne for four hours and 10 minutes on August 25, 2006 after taking off from Blagnac International Airport in Toulouse, France. The first passenger flight took place at Blagnac International Airport in Toulouse, France, on September 4th, 2006.
On 21 July 2006, Singapore Airlines signed a Letter of Intent (LoI) with Airbus at Farnborough air show for nine A380-800s plus six options and for 20 A350 XWB-900s plus another 20 as options. The first A350 XWB airliner were planned for delivery to Singapore Airlines in 2012. Airbus also announced that the Asian carrier was leasing 19 A330-300s between 2009 and 2010.
On 3 October 2006, Airbus announced that the first A380 delivery was delayed to October 2007 with 13 to be delivered in 2008 and 25 in 2009. The schedule shift was due to the aircraft's electrical harnesses installation time which exceeded the early estimates. From 2010 onwards Airbus expects to deliver 45 A380s annually.
Airbus A380 powered by Trent 900 engines received the joint type certification from EASA and FAA on December 12, 2006.
Specifications Accommodation: Crew 2, Passengers 555
Dimensions: Height 24.1 m, Length 73 m, Wingspan 80 m
Weights: Max Weight 560 t, Min Weight 277 t
Engine/s Performance: Thrust 280,000 lb (127,008 kg)
Performance: Max Range 15,000 km (8,099 nm), Top Speed 296 mps (Mach 0.89)
Australia / 20 
China / 5 
France / 12 
Germany / 15 
India / 5 
Malaysia / 6 
Qatar / 5 
Saudi Arabia / 1 
Singapore / 28 
Aircraft ordered by Singapore Airlines (18)
South Korea / 8 
Spain / 4 
Thailand / 6 
United Arab Emirates / 68 
United Kingdom / 18