The largest aircraft is the Airbus 380. Cabin layout and the best seats of the Airbus A380 airline Emirates. Where are components produced and how are they transported?

Images via Wikimedia Commons

Characteristics

Has four engines. There is also a cargo modification of the A380F with the ability to transport cargo up to 150 tons over a distance of up to 10,370 km. The maximum take-off weight is 560 tons (the weight of the aircraft itself is 280 tons). Today, the A380 is also the largest passenger airliner in the world, surpassing the capacity of the Boeing 747, which can only carry up to 525 passengers (the Boeing 747 was the largest passenger airliner for 36 years).

According to the developers, the most difficult part in creating the aircraft was the problem of reducing its weight. It was solved through the widespread use of composite materials both in power structural elements and in auxiliary units, interiors, etc. To reduce the weight of the aircraft, advanced technologies and improved aluminum alloys were also used. Thus, the 11-ton center section consists of 40% of its mass from carbon fiber reinforced plastic. The fuselage top and side panels are made from Glare hybrid material. Laser welding of stringers and skin was used on the lower fuselage panels, which significantly reduced the number of fasteners.

Among large liners, the most economical - three liters of fuel per passenger per hundred kilometers (54 nautical miles) of travel. According to Airbus, the A380 burns 17% less fuel per passenger than “the largest aircraft today” (presumably referring to the Boeing 747). The less fuel is burned, the lower the carbon dioxide emissions. For an airplane, CO 2 emissions per passenger are 75 grams per kilometer of travel.

The A380 took about ten years to develop. The cost of the entire program is about twelve billion €. Airbus says it needs to sell 420 planes to recoup its costs, although some analysts estimate the number would need to be much higher.

Development

Airbus began development of a very large passenger airliner (called the Airbus megaliner in its early development stages) in the early 1990s to expand its product range and challenge Boeing's dominance in this market segment since the 1970s with its Boeing model. 747. McDonnell Douglas pursued the same goals with his - ultimately unsuccessful - MD-12 project. Since both companies were going to build a successor to the Boeing 747, they knew that in this segment of the consumer market - aircraft with 600-800 passenger seats - there was room for only one such aircraft. Everyone knew the risk of splitting such a specialized market, as was clearly demonstrated by the simultaneous debut of the Lockheed L-1011 TriStar and the McDonnell Douglas DC-10: both aircraft met market needs, but the market could usefully support only one of the models, which forced Lockheed leave the civil aviation market. In January 1993, Boeing and several other companies in the Airbus consortium began analyzing the economic feasibility of a Very Large Commercial Transport (VLCT) airliner, seeking to form a partnership to share 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 combination of two fuselages from the Airbus A340, then Airbus's largest aircraft. At the same time, Boeing was considering a concept with a “hump” closer to the nose of the aircraft, which would allow it to 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's prospects. Airbus changed the project to reduce operating costs by 15-20% compared to the then existing Boeing 747-400. The A3XX's design focused on a fully double-deck design concept, which would provide greater passenger capacity than a standard single-deck or "humpback" variant like the Boeing 747.

On 19 December 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 its full designation as the A380. Even then, 55 orders were received from six customers. The A380 designation is a break between the previous "Airbus" designations in the sequence A300 to A340. The designation A380 was chosen because the number 8 resembles a cross-section of the double-deck aircraft. In addition, the number 8 is considered “lucky” in some Asian customer countries. The final aircraft configuration 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.

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

Production

Production of aircraft components

Major sections of the airliner are built at facilities in France, Great Britain, Germany and Spain. Due to their size, they were transported to Toulouse not by the A300-600 Beluga aircraft (used to transport parts for other Airbus aircraft), but by land and water transport, although some parts [ which?] are transported by An-124 aircraft. Components for the A380 are produced by companies such as Rolls-Royce, SAFRAN, United Technologies, General Electric, and Goodrich.

The nose and tail sections of the fuselage were loaded horizontally in Hamburg onto the ship Ville de Bordeaux ru en ", owned by Airbus, and from there they were sent to the UK. Wing panels were manufactured at Filton ru en (suburb of Bristol) and in Broughton ru en in North Wales, from where they were transported by barge to Mostyn ru en, where they loaded onto the “Ville de Bordeaux” along with the sections already on board. 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 and new canals were built [ which?] and barges. After all this, the planes were sent 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 unveiled at a ceremony in Toulouse on 18 January 2005.

The first flight began at 8:29 UTC (10:29 local time) on April 27, 2005. The aircraft, equipped with Trent 900 engines, took off from Toulouse International Airport with a flight crew of six led by test pilot Jacques Roci. The plane landed successfully after three hours and 54 minutes. On December 1, 2005, the A380 reached its maximum speed of Mach 0.96 (versus a cruise speed of Mach 0.85) in a shallow dive, thus beginning a series of test flights aimed at exploring the range of operational flight conditions.

On January 10, 2006, the A380 made its first transatlantic flight, flying to Medellin, Colombia, to test the aircraft for high-altitude airport operations, before flying to Iqaluit, the capital of Nunavut, Canada, for cold-weather testing.
In early 2006, during static tests at the Toulouse aircraft factory, the wing of one of the A380s (MSN5000) unexpectedly cracked when the load reached 145% of the rated load, while, according to aviation safety standards, it should withstand a load of 150% from nominal. The management of the Airbus consortium decided to make changes to the design of the A380 wing in order to increase its strength. The reinforcing elements together increased the weight of the aircraft airframe by 30 kg, of which 14 kg were the mounting bolts.
On March 26, 2006, the A380 underwent evacuation certification in Hamburg (Germany). With eight of a total of 16 exits blocked, 853 passengers and 20 crew members were evacuated in 78 seconds, compared to the evacuation certification standards requirement of 90 seconds. Three days later, the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) and the US Federal Aviation Administration gave their approval for the Airbus A380 to carry up to 853 passengers.

On August 25, 2006, the first flight of the A380 with GP 7200 engines took place (this 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 carried out 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 check the performance of the aircraft under standard airline operating conditions. On December 12, the A380-841 model and the A380-842 model received certification from EASA and FAA at a joint ceremony at the company's French headquarters. The A380-861 model received certification on December 14, 2007.
As of February 2008, the five A380s had accumulated a total of 4,565 flight hours and completed 1,364 flights, including airline testing and demonstration flights.

Production and supply problems

At the initial stage, production of the A380 was complicated by the fact that each aircraft required 530 kilometers of electrical wiring. Airbus cited, in particular, the complexity of the cockpit wiring (100,000 wires and 40,300 connectors), the fact that this separate, parallel project must meet the requirements of each airline, control of design changes and control of technical documentation changes . The German and Spanish Airbus plants continued to use CATIA version 4, while the British and French plants switched to CATIA version 5. This, at least in part, caused some problems in the control of design changes, since the installation of aluminum electrical wires required special rules to be followed. , including the use of non-standard units of measurement and bend radii: problems were associated with the fact that software versions (CATIA) ran on 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 planned for the end of 2006, deliveries in 2007 decreased by only 7 aircraft, and by the end of 2009 to 80-70. The announcement caused shares of EADS, Airbus' parent, to fall 26% and led to the resignation of EADS CEO Noel Forgrid, Airbus CEO Gustav Humbert and A380 program manager Charles Champion. On October 3, the new Airbus CEO, after completing a review of the program, announced a third delay, 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 set an annual production rate of 45 aircraft. The delay also increased the revenue shortfall expected by Airbus until 2010 to €4.8 billion.
Since Airbus prioritized work on the A380-800 over the A380-800F (freighter version), orders for the A380-800F were either canceled (FedEx, UPS Airlines) or replaced with A380-800 orders (Emirates Airline, ILFC) . Airbus has suspended work on the freighter, but has stated that the freighter A380 remains in the pipeline, and as of March 2008, Airbus did not yet have a specific release date for the freighter version.

Exploitation

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). Two months later, Singapore Airlines President Chew Chong Seng said the A380 was performing better than expected and was consuming 20% less fuel per passenger than Boeing's current 747-400. The second A380 for Singapore Airlines (MSN005) was delivered to Airbus on 11 January 2008 and was registered as 9V-SKB. Until 18 March 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 from Singapore to London. On March 18, 2008, a Singapore Airlines A380 successfully landed at Heathrow Airport (London), thereby making the aircraft's first commercial flight to Europe. Singapore Airlines' fourth A380, which entered service on 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 am Main, Hong Kong route, Melbourne - Singapore.

The aircraft has significant customization capabilities (which was partly the reason for the slow growth in production rates). There may be a shower on board (the option is used only by Emirates Airline), a bar counter, a lounge, and a duty-free shop. The presence of a satellite channel on the plane for information exchange allows you to organize telephone communications for passengers, connect to the Internet via a Wi-Fi network, etc.

Integration into infrastructure

Ground Operation

Critics have previously argued that the A380's weight could cause damage to airport taxiways. However, the pressure that the aircraft's wheels exert on the surface is less than that of a Boeing 747 or Boeing 777, since the A380 has 22 wheels, which is four more than the - and eight more than the -. Airbus measured road loads using a custom 580-tonne load cart built to simulate the A380's landing gear. The cart was rolled along a section of the road surface where pressure sensors were placed.

Takeoff and landing

In 2005, ICAO developed preliminary criteria for maintaining intervals between takeoffs and landings, which turned out to be significantly larger than for the Boeing 747, since flight tests showed that the A380 leaves a much stronger wake turbulence. These criteria remained in effect until ICAO, JAA, Eurocontrol, FAA and Airbus examined the issue through additional flight tests.

The creation and start of production of the double-deck wide-body airliner Airbus A380 put an end to the undivided monopoly of the aircraft, which lasted for several decades. The car is the largest passenger airliner in the world.

Reliability and reduced operating costs ensure good demand for the machine, despite its high cost. The most expensive option was supplied to the family of the King of Saudi Arabia, and cost the customer 488 million US dollars.

History of creation

Work on a new large-sized Airbus airliner began in the late 80s. The aircraft was created as a competitor to the Boeing 747 airliner, which had a monopoly on the niche of such aircraft since the 70s. In parallel, a similar aircraft was being developed by the McDonnell Douglas Corporation, but its project was a failure.

The management of Boeing and Airbus realized the limitations of the market for high-capacity aircraft, so in 1993 attempts were made to enter into a partnership agreement that would allow them to divide the market. In parallel, the development of projects was underway, called “Airbus” 3XX and “Boeing” 747X.

For the Airbus, several fuselage options were developed, including a twin-length fuselage from the 340 model. The Boeing aircraft was supposed to be equipped with a fuselage with a nose section increased in height.

Development of the Boeing project was stopped in early 1997 due to the emerging economic crisis in East Asia, which reduced the market for large aircraft.

Airbus decided to continue development of the project, concentrating on reducing operating costs while increasing capacity. It was then that the decision was made to use a double-deck fuselage, which ensured the maximum capacity of the aircraft.

The A380 designation appeared at the end of 2000, when the project was approved by the then management of Airbus. Assembly of the first aircraft began in 2002. A special feature of the production of the A380 aircraft was the use of the production facilities of several dozen enterprises scattered throughout Europe.

The first flight of the Airbus A380 took place in the spring of 2005, and already at the beginning of 2006 the first test flight across the Atlantic Ocean was carried out.

Finalizing the design and solving problems that arose with suppliers shifted the start of aircraft production to 2007, in which only one copy was delivered. Actual deliveries began only the following year, in which 12 A380 aircraft were assembled.

At the beginning of 2017, there were 207 Airbus A380 aircraft in active operation, owned by twelve airlines. During the operation of the aircraft, several minor flight accidents were recorded.

In particular, in the fall of 2017, on one of the Air France airliners, elements of a turbojet engine separated in flight. The cause of the incident was determined to be a manufacturing defect in the fan hub of the GP7200 engine.

Fuselage and cockpit

The fuselage of the Airbus A380-800 aircraft is equipped with two decks to accommodate passenger seats. Between the decks there are stairs located in the bow and tail of the passenger compartment. When laying out the stairs, it was possible to ensure a width sufficient for the free movement of passengers towards each other.

Carbon fiber composites are widely used in the fuselage structure.

The end section of the fuselage is entirely made of composite. A tail horizontal and vertical stabilizer is attached to it. Inside there is a service compartment and an auxiliary gas turbine unit with a generator.

In the forward part of the fuselage there is a pilot's cabin equipped with two seats. To display data, the cockpit is equipped with liquid crystal monitors (the “glass cockpit” concept) of a unified design that allows devices to be replaced.

Pilots do not have a traditional helm. The steering wheel is replaced by joysticks located on the outside of the seats. Joysticks are connected to electric drive controls. The cockpit contains more than 100 thousand wires connecting various electronic and electrical components.

In front of the pilots there is a folding table with a keyboard. Between the seats there are controls, including four throttle levers for controlling engine operating modes.

The Airbus A380 wing was created based on a take-off weight of at least 650 thousand kg, which is considered achievable on future versions.

In addition, this weight was planned for the cargo version of the A380-800F aircraft, which never went into production.

Engines

Depending on the modification, the Airbus A380 airliner can be equipped with Trent 900 family turbojet engines manufactured by Rolls-Royce or GP7200 developed by Engine Alliance.

The GP7200 powerplant is a collection of components developed by several major engine manufacturers. Both types of engines meet modern noise requirements during takeoff and landing.

The table shows some engine characteristics.

Parameter	Trent 900	GP7200
Type	Turbofan three-shaft	Twin-shaft turbofan
Combustion chamber type	Single	Single with reduced emissions of harmful substances
Turbine design	One stage each for high and medium pressure, 5 stages for low pressure	Two stages of high pressure and 6 stages of low
Compressor	One fan wheel, 8-stage medium pressure stage and 6-stage high pressure stage	Fan, 5-speed low pressure and 9-speed high pressure
Length, mm	5478	4920
Diameter, mm	2950	3160
Weight, kg	6246	6712
Take-off thrust, kN	310-340	311

To reduce the travel distance, two engines have a thrust reverser (one under each wing). The engines use aviation kerosene as fuel.

Exploration work is underway to operate power plants using a mixture of kerosene and natural gas converted into liquid fuel. The fuel supply is located in 13 caisson tanks located in the wings and horizontal tail.

The fuel system has 41 pumps that constantly move fuel between tanks to maintain alignment and reduce drag.

Passenger compartment design

The pressurized passenger cabin of the Airbus A380 aircraft has improved sound insulation. The width of the fuselage allows for 11 rows of passenger seats.

All places are connected to communication lines built on the basis of fiber optics.

Passengers board and disembark through two doors located in the forward fuselage on the lower deck.

First grade

The seats are located in the bow of the lower deck. There are 14 seats in total, 4 of which are located singly on the sides, the remaining 6 are located in the central row in pairs. A special feature of first class seats is the ability to be folded into a full-fledged berth.

At the beginning and end of the compartment there is a bathroom and a kitchenette. In addition, first class has a shower facility (not available on all Airbus A380s).

Business Class

Business class seats are located immediately behind first class. The seats are arranged in eight rows at a fairly large distance from each other. The design of the chairs allows the backrests to be folded out to form a sleeping area.

There are a total of 20 rows of seats, the total capacity of the business class cabin is 76 seats.

At the beginning and end of the salon there are kitchenettes and a bathroom. A bar counter is located in the area of the first emergency exit. The second emergency exit is located towards the rear of the Airbus A380.

Economy class

Economy class seats on the Airbus A380 are located on the upper deck in three rows. The side rows have three seats, the central row has four. There are two aisles between the rows. There are bathrooms in the bow, stern and middle parts.

The cabin is designed for 399 passengers. Passenger seats are equipped with an individual screen mounted in the backrest. The economy class cabin has two kitchenettes and three bathrooms.

In the event of an emergency, economy class passengers can leave the Airbus A380 cabin through 10 emergency exits.

It is possible to expand the economy class cabin to the second deck. In this case, the capacity of the Airbus A380 reaches a record 853 passengers.

Chassis

In the scheme for extending and retracting the landing gear on the Airbus A380, a combined drive is used - from hydraulic systems (duplicated) and from electric actuators (also duplicated). Electric actuators operate the chassis via hydraulic systems.

In this way, it was possible to install four independent control systems, which increased the safety of the aircraft and reduced the risk of dangerous situations. The landing gear niches are closed with landing gear doors made of composite materials. The design of the doors is monolithic.

Flight performance compared to competitors

Parameter	A380	A380 Plus	Boeing 747-8F
Wingspan, mm	79 800		68 450
Length, mm	73 000		76 250
Height, mm	24 100		19 350
Empty weight, kg	276 800		191 100
Maximum take-off weight, kg	560 000	578 000	442 000
Fuel capacity, l	325 000		-
Total takeoff thrust, kN	1244-1360	At least 1244	1188
Maximum speed, km/h	1020		988
Cruising speed, km/h	Up to 945		908
Flight range, km	15 200	15 756	14 100
Ceiling, m	13 115		13 000
Crew, people	2
Number of seats, persons	853	933	581

Prospects

In mid-2017, Airbus announced the creation of an improved A380 Plus. The main direction of improvements was to reduce the cost of the aircraft, which in theory should increase demand for the aircraft.

At the same time, the redesigned cabins are designed to accommodate a record 933 passengers. Capacity has been improved due to a tighter cabin layout and a reduction in the area of service compartments.

Externally, the A380 Plus is not very different from its predecessor - the main changes affected the wing design, which should have reduced drag.

Modified Rolls-Royce and Engine Alliance power plants have reduced fuel consumption and increased thrust by 7%, but there is no official data on them in the public domain.

Video

The Airbus A380 is a passenger double-decker (double-decker) jet aircraft. Today it is the largest and most spacious airliner in the world. Officially, its development began in 2000, the first flight was made in 2005, and in 2007 it was fully put into operation by the companies that pre-ordered it.

Review of the Airbus A380

The Airbus A380 has several modifications:

Basic models Airbus A380-800, 842, 861, 862. The length reaches about 73 meters. The difference lies in the installed engines: GP72XX and Trent 900. The ability to vary the on-board temperature from 18 to 30 degrees Celsius, thanks to internal 16 temperature zones, has become unique;
A380-800F. Cargo model of an airplane. For some time, Airbus S.A.S. accepted orders for the supply of such a modification, but its production was shelved until the design of the passenger version was fully adjusted. The specific timing is still unknown;
A380-900. Currently in the design stage. It is 7 meters longer than the original version, and if the aircraft goes into mass production, it will be the longest and most powerful. The possible flight distance will reach 14,200 km;
A380-1000. It is planned to be the most spacious airliner. In the future, it will be able to accommodate 1,073 passengers exclusively in economy class and 757 people in three classes. The start of use is expected to date from 2020-2025. The length of the aircraft is 87 meters;
A380plus. This modification is currently being tested. On board it will be able to accommodate 80 more people than in the basic version, and also reduce fuel consumption and operating costs.

Airbus A380 passenger cabin design

Airbus a380-800 Emirates interior diagram

The aircraft has an upper and lower deck, which are connected by two staircases, at the nose and tail of the aircraft. Various modifications of the A380 accommodate first class, business economy and premium economy classes.

First grade

On an Airbus A380 passenger aircraft, as a rule, first class seats are located at the very beginning. Everyone already knows that these places are the best, and the attitude towards the passenger is as if he were a guest of a five-star hotel. Each chair here can be converted into a small bed. The first class section may even have a shower, which is widely used by some airlines.

However, not everything is so smooth and the “suite” also has its drawbacks: these are seats located in the 1st and 4th rows, located in close proximity to the toilet. Also, opposite the 1st row there is a staircase connecting the two decks of the plane, and not every passenger will like such a neighborhood.

Business Class

Business class in the Airbus A380 is located immediately behind the first. There are also comfortable armchairs that can be turned into a bed if desired. The distance between the seats is sufficient, so you can easily stretch your legs to their full length. Passengers are provided with a minibar, which is usually included in the ticket price.

Economy class

On the bottom or main (if the plane consists entirely of one class) there is an economy class. It amounts to 399 seats in the classic layout offered by the manufacturer. The seats here do not lie flat, as in first and business class, but they are quite comfortable. According to the world standard, the distance for the legs between the rows reaches 80 cm. Each passenger has his own screen installed in the back of the previous seat, the ability to watch video, listen to audio, a USB connector and paid Internet. Availability of the latter will depend on the airline.

Best places

As mentioned earlier, the ideal seats on this airliner are in first and business class. In economy you can also get a good job on rows 45, 54 and 82. The seats are located far from the toilets and technical areas, there are no seats in front, which means there is plenty of legroom. Rows 68 and 81 would also be good. They are located near the windows and are considered one of the most comfortable in economy class.

Rows 43, 52, 67 and 80 are considered “average” in terms of convenience. There is enough space between the seats, but technical rooms and a toilet are located nearby, which can cause inconvenience. The worst seats are in row 88. This is where the wall is located, because of which the seat and the toilet room do not recline, where passengers scurry back and forth. It is better to buy tickets here when there are no other options.

Photo of the cabin in economy class:

Main characteristics

The Airbus 380 has a wide fuselage (aisle). It is unique in its kind, which is why it is in great demand among many airlines, both domestic and foreign. The cockpit is the same for all models. Airbus S.A.S. uses this tactic. used to save on crew training.

The Airbus 380 airliner has the following technical characteristics:

Number of seats as standard - 525;
Capacity - 853;
Cabin width - 6.5 m;
Length - 72.7 m;
Height - 24.1 m;
Wingspan - 80 m;
Wing area - 845 sq. m;
Empty aircraft weight - 276.8 thousand kg;
Takeoff weight - 560 thousand kg;
Landing weight - 386 thousand kg;
Weight without fuel - 361 thousand kg;
Fuel tank capacity - 310 thousand liters;

Aircraft flight data:

Maximum flight altitude - 13.1 thousand m;
The maximum flight distance with a full load is 15 thousand km;
Run length - 2.9 thousand m;
Take-off run length - 2 thousand m;
Engines - 4 R-R Trent 970 or 4 Alliance GP7270.

History of creation

The development of the wide-body aircraft project was started by Airbus S.A.S. back in 1994. Then it was planned to compete with the then monopolist Boeing with its Boeing-747 airliner. Initially, the future brainchild of Airbus had the code name A3XX. The designers wanted to combine two fuselages of the company's largest aircraft at that time, the A340, but this would have led to a significant decrease in flight parameters, an increase in the acceleration length and total weight.

It was decided to use a two-deck model, which gave the car a number of advantages. The project started in 2000, and the planned costs reached 8.8 million euros. The name of the aircraft also has an interesting history. Instead of A340, it received the number A380. In a number of Asian countries, eight is considered a lucky number and this probably served as a positive impetus for customers to purchase an airliner.

Construction was completed in 2005 and the aircraft was demonstrated at the airfield in Toulouse. During the tests, engineers identified errors in the design of the wing and it had to be changed in a timely manner. Tests on the ground and in the air were completed at the end of 2007 and the A380 received European certificates of conformity.

Where is it produced?

Fuselage cross-section

The aircraft is manufactured by the European company Airbus S.A.S., based in Toulouse (France). It also has several offices in Germany, Spain, France and the UK and two factories in Blagnac (a suburb of Toulouse) and Hannover (Germany). The company's activities began in 1969 after the merger of several small European aircraft manufacturing companies. Here, not only passenger aircraft are being developed, but also cargo aircraft, as well as vehicles adapted for military needs.

Cost of different models

The price of different modifications of the A380 can vary greatly. Its growth is also affected by the unstable economic situation in the world. Recently, there has been a steady trend towards higher prices for aircraft. And in general, the aircraft of this model itself is considered the most expensive in the entire Airbus family.

The current price of the Airbus A380-800 is US$428 million. The company is still silent about the cost of the models, the production of which is planned to begin in the near future, and the final figure is known only to airlines that have placed pre-orders. Every year prices rise by about 2-3%. A total of 219 vehicles have been sold and put into operation, and another 317 are under construction. This information is provided by the official Airbus representative office.

News, modernization, prospects

There are several cases where the order for the A380-800 was placed by important people and famous people. For example, the most common story was about the prince of Saudi Arabia, who bought his own A380 Super Jambo from the company, whose total cost was 488 million US dollars.

There was an opinion that this plane was capable of damaging airport runways, but this turned out to be untrue. The landing gear pressure turned out to be much less than that of its main competitors Boeing 747 and 777. In Russia, the first airport adapted to receive the wide-body A380 was Moscow Domodedovo. The order to rebuild the runway was issued by the air transport agency in Russia.

The A380 is a true world record holder. It has the quietest passenger cabin noise levels, is the most fuel-efficient and largest aircraft available today.

Due to the large size of the aircraft, 597 kg of paint have to be spent on painting it, and the total surface area reaches 10 thousand square meters. m. Also, thanks to the expanded wing area, the airliner's speed is 35 km/h lower than that of its main competitor. This allows you to reduce possible noise at the airport during landing or takeoff.

At the moment, the development of the A380-1000 and A380plus is actively underway. A huge number of airlines have already placed pre-orders for the latest aircraft and passengers can only wait for the modern aircraft to enter service and delight us with their reliable build quality and speed.

Watch a video about the Airbus A380, the largest passenger aircraft in the world.

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When you see the Airbus A380-800 for the first time, it’s hard to believe that such a giant can take off.

The UAE airline, Emirates, has 38 of the largest passenger aircraft in the world. They are divided into two interior layouts, which are, in principle, very similar.

We will analyze the layout of the A380 cabin, which is more common.

It includes 14 enclosed First Class cabins (Rows 1-4), 76 Business Class seats (Rows 6-26) and 399 standard Economy Class seats (Rows 43-88).

The other layout differs in that it has 7 more economy class seats and slightly different row numbering. You can find out exactly what layout will be on your flight. If it differs from the one presented here, contact our operator, he will tell you where it will be more convenient for you to sit

Well, let's take a look.

The Airbus A380 aircraft has two full floors. The ground floor of the Emirates aircraft houses first and business classes.

WITH 1 to 4 rows- first grade. It’s hard to imagine a more comfortable flight than these seats. Each place is a small individual compartment with a door. The seat reclines 180 degrees, there is a large monitor, sockets, internet, individual lighting and a minibar.

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

However, even here there are places that are a little worse. The first and fourth rows are closest to the restrooms and bar/kitchen.

Passengers are warned that on night flights, constant technical lighting is required. rooms and extraneous sounds coming from there can interfere with a peaceful rest.

You can see photos of the first class interior below at the end of the article.

WITH 6 to 26 These are business class rows.

Here, Emirates also has everything in order - very comfortable seats: an individual chair that can be turned into a bed. But even here there are places where comfort is a little low.

These are the rows near which the bar, toilets or kitchen are located.

There is a constant stream of people coming to the bar day and night. The same goes for toilets.

If you want to relax and sleep peacefully, choose places other than those marked in yellow.

You can see some photos of the bar and business class lounge below.

Now let's move to the lower deck, which is occupied by the only economy class.

As we already wrote, there are 399 places in total.

Each chair is equipped with its own screen and an audio/video entertainment system.

There are sockets for charging, as well as individual USB ports and an Internet connection.

Internet on airplanes is paid.

The distance between the rows is slightly more than 80 cm. Standard for economy class.

43 row— increased distance for knees due to the placement of the wall.

Also, no one will lean back their chair on you.

However, there are disadvantages, which may be even more significant for some than the advantages.

The armrests are locked, as usual for the first row.

Nearby there is a staircase to the second deck, under which there is a technical room for flight attendants.

There are lights on throughout the entire flight and flight attendants and stewards walk around.

Also, the proximity of toilets, which passengers go to around the clock.

Another sound that can be disturbing during an overnight flight is the opening and closing of the magnetic clasp that blocks access to the upper deck.

In general, very hectic places.

45 row— increased free space for legs and knees.

54A and 55A— under the seat in front there is an audio/video entertainment server. Slightly less legroom.

Rows 65, 66, 78, 79— the seats in these rows have limited back recline. Also, proximity to toilets is always restless.

Rows 67 and 80- additional free space for knees and legs.

Also, note that there are 2 chairs in a row. This is very convenient for traveling as a couple.

However, there are toilets, which means walking, queues, bustle.

68, 81, A and K- due to the missing chair, the seats are very comfortable.

82 row— increased free space for knees and legs.

87 row C and H— they will pass you by on their way to the toilets. They may hit you with an elbow or step on your foot.

88 row- the last row.

The backrests are blocked, toilets and stairs are close.

The most hectic and uncomfortable places.

Photos of the Emirates Airbus 380-800 interior

All photographs were taken by passengers; some places may not be very clear or the angle may not be very good. But they are truthful.

Photos of the first class interior

Business class interior photos

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

Story

Development of the aircraft began in 1994 under the code A3XX and continued for 10 years. The purpose of creating the Airbus A380 was the developer's desire to expand the range of its products, as well as to deprive it of its 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 its - ultimately unsuccessful - MD-12 project. Since both companies were going to build a successor, they knew that in the consumer market segment - aircraft with 600-800 passenger seats - there would be room for only one such aircraft.

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

In January 1993, Boeing and several other companies in the Airbus consortium began analyzing the economic feasibility of creating a Very Large Commercial Transport (VLCT) airliner, seeking to form a partnership to share 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 combination of two fuselages from the Airbus A340, then Airbus's largest aircraft. At the same time, Boeing was considering a concept with a “hump” closer to the nose of the aircraft, which would allow it to accommodate more passengers. The VLCT partnership ended in 1996. And in January 1997, Boeing canceled its 747X program due to the East Asian economic crisis of 1997-2000, which clouded the market's prospects. Airbus changed the project to reduce operating costs by 15-20% compared to the then existing Boeing 747-400.

The design of the A3XX focused on a fully double-deck design concept, which would allow for greater passenger capacity than a standard single-deck or "humpback" variant like the Boeing 747.

On 19 December 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 its full designation as the A380. Even then, 55 orders were received from 6 customers. The A380 designation is a break between the previous "Airbus" designations in the sequence 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 aircraft configuration 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 the A300-600 Beluga aircraft (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 front and rear fuselage sections were loaded horizontally onto the Airbus-owned Ville de Bordeaux in Hamburg and from there shipped to the UK. The wing consoles were manufactured in Filton (a suburb of Bristol) and in Brawtyn in North Wales, from where they were transported by barge to Mastin, where the Ville de Bordeaux loaded them, along with existing sections, on board the ship. Then, for some more sections, the ship called at Saint-Nazaire in Western France and then 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 and new canals and barges were built. After all this, the planes were sent 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 unveiled at a ceremony in Toulouse on 18 January 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 Toulouse International Airport with a flight crew of 6 people led by test pilot Jacques Rosi. The plane landed successfully after 3 hours and 54 minutes. On December 1, 2005, the A380 reached its maximum speed of Mach 0.96 (versus a cruise speed of Mach 0.85) in a shallow dive, thereby beginning a series of test flights aimed at exploring the range of operational flight conditions.

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

On March 26, 2006, the A380 underwent 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, compared to the evacuation certification standards requirement of 90 seconds. Three days later, the European Aviation Safety 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 with GP 7200 engines took place (aircraft 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 carried out 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 check the performance of the aircraft under standard airline operating conditions. On December 12, the A380-841 model and the A380-842 model received certificates from EASA and the FAA at a joint ceremony at the company's French headquarters. Model A380-861 received certification on December 14, 2007.

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

Production and delivery

At the 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 complexity of the cockpit wiring (100,000 wires and 40,300 connectors), the fact that this separate, parallel project must meet the requirements of each airline, control of design changes and control of technical documentation changes . The German and Spanish Airbus plants continued to use CATIA version 4 software, while the British and French plants moved to CATIA version 5. This, at least in part, caused some problems in control of design changes, since the installation of aluminum electrical wires required compliance with special rules, including the use of non-standard units of measurement and bend radii: problems were associated with the fact that software versions (CATIA) ran on 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 planned for the end of 2006, deliveries in 2007 decreased by only 7 aircraft, and by the end of 2009 to 80-70. The announcement caused shares of Airbus parent EADS to fall 26% and led to the resignations of EADS CEO Noel Forgrid, Airbus CEO Gustav Humbert and A380 program manager Charles Champion. On October 3, the new Airbus CEO, after completing a review of the program, announced a third delay, 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 set an annual production rate of 45 aircraft.

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

Since Airbus prioritized work on the A380-800 over the A380-800F (freighter version), orders for the A380-800F were either canceled or exchanged for A380-800 orders. Airbus has suspended work on the freighter but said the A380 freighter remains in the pipeline.

Commissioning

Two months later, Singapore Airlines President Chew Chong Seng said the A380 performed better than expected and consumed 20% less fuel per passenger than the company's existing Boeing 747-400. The second A380 for Singapore Airlines (MSN005) was delivered to Airbus on 11 January 2008 and was registered as 9V-SKB. Until 18 March 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 from Singapore to London. On March 18, 2008, a Singapore Airlines A380 successfully landed at Heathrow Airport (London), thereby making the aircraft's first commercial flight to Europe.

Singapore Airlines' fourth A380, which entered service on 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) of Qantas (the second airline to order the A380) made its maiden 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.

Project

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

The A380 wing is sized for a maximum take-off weight of over 650 tonnes, with an eye towards 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. This overall design approach does result in some reduction in fuel efficiency for the passenger version of the A380-800, but Airbus estimates that the aircraft's size, coupled with the new technologies described below, will result in a per-passenger operating cost lower than either existing modifications.

The A380 also features winglets similar to those seen on the A310 and A320 to reduce wake turbulence and improve economy and performance.

Cockpit

Airbus uses similar cockpit layout, procedures and performance characteristics in its other aircraft to reduce crew training costs.

The A380 features an improved glass cockpit and remote control of the steering wheels using electric drives linked to the side-stick controls.

Information display devices in the cockpit: 9 interchangeable liquid crystal monitors 20x15 cm. Of the 9 monitors, 2 are navigation data indicators, 2 are main flight data indicators, 2 engine operation indicators, 1 displays data on the current state of the entire system as a whole and 2 are multifunctional.

Engines

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

Fuel

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

One of the four A380 engines used a mixture of 60 percent aviation kerosene and 40 percent GTL fuel supplied by Shell.

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

Improved materials

The design of the Airbus A380 widely uses composite materials - metals and plastics reinforced with glass fiber, carbon and quartz fiber. New weldable aluminum alloys are also widely used, which, combined with laser beam welding, has eliminated rivets. In January 2012, microcracks were discovered on the wing body.

Conditions for passengers

The cabin noise level of the A380 is 50% less than that of the Boeing 747, and 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 reduce travel fatigue among passengers. The upper and lower decks are connected by two staircases at the nose and tail of the aircraft, wide enough to accommodate two passengers shoulder to shoulder. In the 555-passenger configuration, the A380 has 33% more passenger seats than the standard three-class configuration, but the cabin has 50% more space and volume, resulting in more space per passenger. The aircraft's maximum certified capacity is 853 passengers when configured with a single economy class. The announced configurations have a number of passenger seats from 450 (for Qantas Airways) to 644 (for Emirates Airline, with two comfort classes).

Ground Operation

Critics have previously argued that the A380's weight could cause damage to airport taxiways. However, the pressure that the aircraft's wheels 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 road loads using a custom 580-tonne load cart built to simulate the A380's landing gear. The cart was rolled along a section of the road surface where pressure sensors were placed.

Based on the A380's wingspan, the FAA 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 said the A380 would be able to operate safely on Group V runways and taxiways without requiring them to be expanded. In July 2007, the FAA and the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) agreed to allow the A380 to use 45-meter-wide runways without restrictions.

Moscow Domodedovo Airport became the first airport in Russia that was able to accommodate the Airbus A380 aircraft on its runways. This order was issued by the Federal Air Transport Agency.

Distances

In 2005, ICAO developed preliminary criteria for maintaining intervals between takeoffs and landings, which turned out to be significantly greater than for the Boeing 747, since flight tests showed that the A380 leaves a much stronger wake turbulence. These criteria remained in effect until ICAO, JAA, Eurocontrol, FAA and Airbus examined the issue through additional flight tests. In September 2006, the working group presented its findings to ICAO.
In November of that year, ICAO issued new recommendations. Instead of 10 nautical miles (19 km) for all types of aircraft, 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 4-meter-shortened version of the A380-800 with a capacity of up to 481 passengers and a maximum range of about 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 receive many orders due to its higher cost. Its length is 69 m.

A380-800

Basic 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 in the design stage. It exceeds the length of the base model by a little more than 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 people 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 production of the A380-800 is established and plans to begin service in 2015. It will be released in one variant, A380-941.

A380-1000

The A380-1000, proposed in 2010, will be 87 meters long and seat 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 variant, A380-1041.

A380-800F

Airbus initially accepted orders for the cargo version. The proposed aircraft was second only to the An-225 in terms of carrying capacity. However, production was delayed until sales of the passenger version stabilized, and at present no timeframe has been announced for the start of production of the cargo version.

Advantages

In addition to delivering a range of benefits from an all-new airframe design, the A380 extends the Airbus family concept into the ultra-large capacity aircraft category.

Due to the identical cockpit layout, control procedures and flight characteristics of Airbus fly-by-wire aircraft, pilots already qualified to fly one of these aircraft types will need to undergo a short refresher course to be approved to fly the A380.

Airbus designed the A380 in close consultation with representatives from 60 of the world's largest airports to ensure the aircraft can enter commercial service with confidence.

The A380 is a socially sound and cost-effective way to cope with rising passenger traffic and airport congestion.
The alternative would be to increase the frequency of departures of operational aircraft, which would not only require multi-billion dollar investments in the construction of new runways, terminals and even airports, but would also cause even greater congestion and have a greater negative impact on the environment.

Airbus's views on this issue are fully supported by both the widespread participation of the global air transport industry in the A380 program from the very beginning, and, more clearly, by the high demand for the new aircraft.

The A380 was designed with the participation of the world's major airlines to optimally meet the increasing passenger traffic on the world's major long-haul routes such as Dubai-London, Sydney-Los Angeles, Tokyo-West Coast USA. But in the next 20 years, new segments of the transportation market will emerge and strengthen, requiring high-capacity aircraft to serve them. Among them are primarily China and India, where the economy will develop particularly dynamically and more and more people will be able to fly abroad.

With more and more of the world's population choosing to fly long-haul routes for business and leisure travel, the use of the A380 will give airlines the opportunity to carry more passengers without having to pay for additional “slots” in their flight schedules.

A380