A-380 enters into service with Singapore Airlines – Update

Spiegel archives on A-380 and related topics

EADS BOSS LOUIS GALLOIS ON THE A380
‘I Was Told There Was a Problem’
The A380’s image has been tarnished ever since a Qantas plane was forced to make an emergency landing after an engine exploded. In a SPIEGEL interview, the CEO of Airbus parent company EADS, Louis Gallois, talks about the defective Rolls-Royce engines, competition from China and the ongoing dispute with Boeing over illegal subsidies.
15 November
Qantas A380 Sustained Worse Damage than First Thought
The exploded engine was scary enough. But in the days following the emergency landing of the Qantas A380 in Singapore, it has become clear just how dangerous the situation was. Multiple systems on the aircraft failed and a disaster was only narrowly avoided.
8 November
A380 Anxiety Searching for Blame in an Airbus Near-Disaster
5 November 2010
‘Airbus and Qantas Are Victims’ of A380 Engine Problem
On Thursday, engine failure forced an Airbus A380 to return to Singapore and make an emergency landing. While the incident may be damaging to Airbus, German editorialists argue that the Rolls-Royce engine is to blame.
1 February 2008
A380 flies on alternative fuel
Test aircraft A380 MSN004 has flown between Filton and Toulouse with one engine powered by alternative fuel. The test, part of Airbus’ research programme into alternative fuels, was run in collaboration with Shell International Petroleum and Rolls Royce.
The project is particularly important for environmental and economical reasons. Crude oil derived products are increasingly in demand and prices are rocketing. If it is possible to find a suitable alternative fuel, this could stabilise the market for the benefit of all. Secondly, some alternative fuels could be beneficial for the environment. It is Airbus’ goal as a key stakeholder to support evolution towards a carbon neutral aviation industry. Alternative fuels may contribute to reducing our carbon footprint.
The tests were run on an A380 as it is the most modern aircraft flying today, however the fuel could equally have been tested on any Airbus aircraft. The alternative fuel used on the test flight was gas to liquid (GTL), which looks like kerosene, but is clear coloured. It is a natural gas, which has been cleaned and has undergone the Fischer-Tropsch process – the conversion of synthesis gas to liquid fuel. More

12 November 2007

Behemoth airliner lands at Trudeau airport
World’s largest commercial aircraft, Airbus A380 not scheduled for flights here
AMY LUFT, The Gazette
The world’s largest commercial aircraft flew into Dorval’s Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport today.
In its only Canadian stop on a worldwide showcase tour, the Airbus 380 will transport about 500 passengers from Paris’s Charles de Gaulle Airport to Montreal.
PET has prepared to accommodate that class of behemoth aircraft by constructing a $500,000 gateway, despite the fact that no airline yet has plans to use the A380 for Montreal flights, Airbus America’s Dan Nir-Cohen said in reports yesterday.

TV crew are seen filming the Singapore Airlines Airbus A380 as it takes off from the runway at Changi International Airport for Sydney, Thursday, Oct. 25, 2007 in Singapore. The Airbus A380 took off on a historic journey Thursday, the first commercial flight by the world’s largest jetliner that boasts luxurious suites, double beds, a bar and the quietest interior ever. (Stefen Chow/AP Photo)

25 October 2007
Some Pay $100,000 for First A-380 Flight
Lobster, Fine Wines and Maybe Revolutionized Travel
By BOB JAMIESON

ABOARD SINGAPORE AIRLINES FLIGHT 380, Oct. 25, 2007 —

It took off almost two years late, but the first commercial flight of the Airbus A-380, the biggest passenger plane ever built, still made aviation history.
Before dawn, three hours before the scheduled departure for the flight from Singapore to Sydney, Australia, a long line of passengers waited at the check-in desk, filling Changi Airport with an excited buzz.
Passengers on the first scheduled flight operated by Singapore Airlines, the A-380 launch customer, bid for their seats in an Internet auction that raised $1.3 million for charity. Some paid as much as $100,000 for the first ride on the superjumbo in what was the biggest auction in eBay history.
… Boarding the double-decker  both the upper and lower decks are longer than the distance covered by the Wright Brothers first-powered flight  was quick and smooth, putting to rest industry analysts’ warnings that the plane is so big that both getting on and off the plane would be problematic for passengers. More

Another perspective from Times Online

Airbus A380 – the complete guide
For Stephen Bleach, being a part of the inaugural A380 flight on Thursday was revolutionary… but not for all the right reasons

… Eight hours on a plane has turned me into a Marxist.
Not just any plane. I’ve just stepped off the first commercial flight of the A380 superjumbo, the largest passenger aircraft ever built. Yes, it’s impressive: taller than five double-decker buses, wider than a football pitch, 37 times the length of Peter Crouch in his socks, that sort of thing. And yes, it’s an amazing piece of engineering, a staggering technical achievement: but it’s also the best advert for Bolshevism since the tsar said, “Stuff that Lenin chap, let’s build another palace.”
Never has the gap between the haves and the have-nots of the air been more evident. At the front of the plane (business is on the top level, the “super-first” Suites at the front of main deck, economy at the back on both levels), the elite have unparalleled luxury and space. Further back, the proletariat have to… well, let’s not get ahead of ourselves. I’ve just spent eight hours in the cheap seats: here’s a blow-by-blow account. Great account!

Singapore Airlines, the delivery of the first A-380 plane next Monday Toulouse, France – Great wait for the maiden flight forecasted for Thursday October 25
(WAPA) – The first Airbus A-380 airplane will be delivered on Monday October 15 to Singapore Airlines in the Toulouse central division. The Asian carrier has opted for a 471-seat configuration for all 3 classes: economy, business and the new “Singapore Airlines suites”, a new class more luxurious than the business.
The plane will go to Singapore next Wednesday, and it will enter service on October 25, 2007 with a flight between Singapore and Sydney. Singapore Airlines A-380 aircraft will be powered with Rolls-Royce Trent 900 engine, like other 8 carriers out of 11 clients of the new airplane made by Airbus. More

World’s Biggest Airliner: Airbus A380

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