The Airbus A380 in operation worldwide
More than 70 Airbus A380s are currently in service. 26 A380s were built in 2011, this year there could be up to 40. This year, Thai Airways and Malaysia Airlines will receive their first giant Airbuses. Over 15 million passengers have flown on the A380 in the first three years since it entered service (October 2007). This makes it increasingly easy for travelers to book flights on the world's largest airliner.
The airlines cannot afford special "A380" ticket surcharges, the competition is too fierce. For the airlines, the introduction of this jet, which costs around 380 million US dollars, represents an enormous challenge. However, the A380 is captivating passengers. There is no doubt that it is still a marketing object that ensures growth rates when introduced on a new route. The A380, with its range of 15,300 kilometers, is approved for a maximum of 853 passengers. However, no airline has yet installed the maximum number of seats. Air Austral from Reunion Island in the Indian Ocean will do so, with two A380s flying between Saint Denis and Paris from 2014.
A brief overview of the cabin interiors: Lufthansa currently has the highest seating capacity of all A380s with 420 seats in Economy Class, 98 in Business and eight in First. Korean Air Lines, with just 407 seats, is the version with the lowest number. In addition to twelve First Class and 94 Business Class seats, there is also a lounge with sofas on the upper deck. And since Koreans are considered duty-free crazy, there is a small duty-free store on the lower deck near the 301 Economy Class seats. Emirates also offers its Premium guests a bar on the upper deck. There are also two showers for those in First Class. Singapore Airlines has opted for a total of 471 seats, with Economy Class on both decks, First Class on the main deck and Business on the upper deck. Air France offers four classes for a total of 513 passengers. Here too, Economy Class is located on two decks. There are six bars on board, spread over both decks. Some airlines carry up to 1.5 tons of newspapers and magazines for their guests.
However, the following applies to all passengers: the A380 is the quietest commercial aircraft, especially in the cabin. In addition, the air exchange every three minutes in the cabin of the A380 is ideal, which is good for the skin and physical well-being on very long routes. Due to the voluminous dimensions of the 73 meter long and 79.8 meter wingspan A380, passengers often do not notice when the aircraft begins to taxi. The take-off, with a maximum take-off weight of 569 tons (the exterior paint alone weighs 500 kilos), is also magnificent and can be easily followed from the on-board cameras, for example on the tail unit. An A380 takes off or lands somewhere every ten minutes. Increasingly, this includes connections for which the giant bird was not actually intended. For example to Manchester, Auckland/New Zealand, Houston/Texas or Munich. Zurich (Singapore Airlines) and Munich (Emirates) are served in the vicinity of Austria. In addition to the Lufthansa fleet, Frankfurt is also served by Singapore Airlines (Singapore and New York). Thai Airways will be landing soon, Korean has recently started daily flights to Frankfurt.
Kurt Hofmann
(April 2012)
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