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Y. J. Foo

Airbus to end A380 production

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Best aircraft to fly on, by far. Sad as a passenger.

 

I disagree. Having flown on both the A380 & the A340, I find the comfort levels of both planes to be quite similar.

 

Maybe the A380 is roomier, but I certainly didn't feel more roomy in one.

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So in a couple of years we'll see the stubby A380 sitting along side the concorde. Sad sight indeed.

 

Anyway the race to fly on as many operators as possible is now on.

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A380 certainly is on the top of my list in term of comfort level. However, when comes to baggage collection at the carousel after the ride with A380, it is another story .... :)

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Long live the Queen of the Skies - the Boeing 747!

 

Sure the A380 is a nice plane to fly in as a passenger, but its aesthetics is just not right. I won't be sad to see the end of its production to be honest.

 

Have to agree with you. Aesthetically it is just too hefty and nothing in terms of beauty to speak of. The 747 is another case, the nose is just sexy and iconic. The command centre of the 747 is high above the ground and most importantly the nose will pop open when it is intended to be a freighter for an alternative usage, which Boeing had planned since day 1.

 

I think Airbus needs to revamp their marketing strategies - they seemed to have the markets wrong most the time in recent time. A340 = failed, A350 = too late to the party, A380 = failed.

 

Boeing has hit most of the nails in comparison. The 747-8 will stay on as a freighter as originally intended to be. It managed to kill the A380F before it becomes a real plane.

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A380 certainly is on the top of my list in term of comfort level. However, when comes to baggage collection at the carousel after the ride with A380, it is another story .... :)

Nowadays, my patience is quite limited at airports. Slow immigration and customs checks tire me! So although I enjoy A380 flights for their quietness, smoothness and less jet lag, it is the pre and post flight experience that leave a lot to be desired! But generally, I prefer A320 and A330 flights as there are a lot fewer pax around.

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Never did like the shape of the A380.

Comfort wise...IMHO guess all widebodies have roughly the same comfort level if you are in economy.

I definitely dislike the puny windows on the A380.

In short, am ok with it going away.

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I think Airbus was too distracted in going all out to beat Boeing with its own 747 killer. But, Boeing is smarter because by 1990s, the high capacity, longer range twinjet market was beginning to accelerate and 777 was by then already eclipsing A330/340, both in capacity, range and performance. Airlines found that twinjets is better than quads, maintenance cost wise.

 

If Airbus had the foresight and develop the A380s with two engines instead, I think the aircraft still had the chance in the market.

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I think Airbus was too distracted in going all out to beat Boeing with its own 747 killer. But, Boeing is smarter because by 1990s, the high capacity, longer range twinjet market was beginning to accelerate and 777 was by then already eclipsing A330/340, both in capacity, range and performance. Airlines found that twinjets is better than quads, maintenance cost wise.

 

If Airbus had the foresight and develop the A380s with two engines instead, I think the aircraft still had the chance in the market.

You know what they say about hindsight... :)

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https://runwaygirlnetwork.com/2019/02/14/op-ed-cathay-pacific-finally-vindicated-for-its-a380-decision/

 

CX may be facing issues of its own, but certainly A380 is not one of them.

 

Another feature how 747 wins over A380 is that the cockpit sits higher on the upper deck, allowing cargo doors to be designed on the nose.. practical for loading and unloading lengthy freight. Even Juan Trippe envisioned that 747 might eventually become cargo planes as he thought supersonic flights will replace slower jets. Kinda true in a way but not precise based on how civil aviation turns out to be today.

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If Airbus had the foresight and develop the A380s with two engines instead, .....

Somehow, the vision of a steroid enhanced Dolly Parton crept up after reading that !! :)

 

 

 

 

..... Even Juan Trippe envisioned that 747 might eventually become cargo planes .....

Might be of interest that the original Boeing design was for a USAF cargo platform. Lost out in competition with the Lockheed C5 eventually I recall. Thereafter I suppose Boeing's design team went into 'waste not, want not' philosophical mode ....... :)

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With the demise of the A380, Airbus can now focus on exploring the potential of the A350.

 

It has been reported that the lightweight carbon fuselage and wings can carry yet more weight than is on current models. Airbus will probably now try to increase MTOW weights progressively to exploit the structural capability of the A350.

 

By around 2025, RR will have a new engine, the UltraFan. This will go on the A350Neo. Another step change in efficiency is expected.

 

As the A350 has attracted many orders, Airbus is able to continuously update the aircraft and make it better. Unfortunately, this is not possible on the A380 as the commercial case for upgrades did not exist!

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By around 2025, RR will have a new engine, the UltraFan. This will go on the A350Neo. Another step change in efficiency is expected.

 

 

Pray for RR not stuffing it up again!

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Pray for RR not stuffing it up again!

I think the engineers who worked on the Trent XWB started work on this project when they were done with the XWB. The new core (Advance) should be ready for testing this year or next. After this, the UltraFan (geared turbofan) will be added to the core.

 

Lets hope the project was not delayed by RR pulling engineers to work on fixes for the Trent 900 and 1000...

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Last A380 convoy in French village spells end of an aviation era

LEVIGNAC, France (Reuters) - The last convoy of outsize parts for the world’s largest airliner crawled towards an assembly plant in southwest France late Wednesday, applauded by residents and production workers as Europe’s Airbus prepares to build the last A380 superjumbo.

https://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-airbus-a380/last-a380-convoy-in-french-village-spells-end-of-an-aviation-era-idUKKBN23P07O

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