Airbus Reveals A380

Its not anything new to know that one of the largest aircraft manufacturer has launched its new model, the Airbus A380
into the family of jumbo jets. The new aircraft is the largest commercial airliner in the sky today. It trumps the Boeing 747-400 Jumbo Jet by offering a full upper deck cabin, longer range and wider body. This mega-jet will be serviced by selected airlines on their long- haul routes. It was the inevitable. The race to the top for aviation supremacy has been long
fought between Airbus and its rival, Boeing. So the questions that arise are, who will lay out the cash for such a large aircraft
and exactly how much cash are we talking about? Well we did some research. Take a look inside the largest flying commercial airliner in the skies today and who's forking over the dough to offer their passengers a unforgettable experience.

This aircraft take flight. The A380 can handle more passengers, travel farther and fly higher. The aircrafts ceiling tops out at
around 43,000 feet. The A380 is in fact, so large, many airports are equipped with runways long enough to handle such an
enormous size. Only the large city hubs, such as London's Heathrow, New York's JFK and California's LAX are some of the
airports that can accommodate this giant.


So where does such an aircraft of its size get put together? The two decker Airbus was assembled in several cities across Europe. There was no manufacturing facility large enough to
accommodate its needs. So each part of the
plane was assembled in various cities and then all brought together one by one like a jig saw puzzle. Wales, Germany, Spain and France all took part in the design and manufacturing of the Airbus A380. Approximately 25% of the plane is constructed of carbon-fiber reinforced plastic (CFRP). Materials included in the design were important and key to keeping the weight to a limit. The plane had to be larger than the 747-400, just as light if not lighter and able to handle a heavier load. This was a costly challenge. So just how cost effective is this new aircraft? It's not remarkably lower than the 747, however with more seats in the plane, this allows airlines to accommodate more assengers. Every extra passenger on an A380 represents money made by the airline above and beyond what they could have made on a smaller plane. The increased range also helps add to an increased number of "seat-miles" per flight. The end result is a drop in per-passenger operating costs of 15 to 20 percent, according to Airbus


$300 Million Plus? So who exactly is tretching their wallets for this $300 million plus aircraft? At first it was unsure which airlines would be interested in acquiring such a plane. Many airlines wouldn't even have use for an aircract
of its size. Where would you fly it to? How would you fill every seat on board? These were all questions airlines were asking and trying to answer in the race to be the first kid on the block with this new toy. It would only make sense for the large world carriers that have long-haul routes to purchase the A380. Airlines like, Singapore Airlines, Emirates, Quantas and Malaysian Airlines have scooped up the jumbo jet in order to accommodate their passengers on long routes spanning almost half way around the world. With its range, the A380 would have no problem flying a route like Dubai to New York or Los Angeles to Sydney non stop. For the airlines that can afford to pony up the dough for the new A380, are also spending fortunes on cabin layouts. For the frequent flier, you've never seen cabins like these. The large space allows for more flexibility and creativity to go
into the design of the layout. For example, on Emirates Airlines, the United Emirates national air carrier, it has been rumoured that more than $20,000 USD was spent on the design and manufacturing for a single firs class seat. Do the math and you'll see exactly what it takes to lavishly furnish one of these unique aircrafts.