Airbus unveiled its flagship A380 yesterday, the plane on which the company is betting its newfound status as the world's leading jet maker as well as the US$13 billion cost of developing the "superjumbo."
The largest ever passenger jet was revealed during a lavish ceremony at Airbus' headquarters in Toulouse, southern France, attended by European leaders and almost 5,000 guests.
PHOTO: AP
Airbus has already taken firm orders for 139 of the US$280 million planes, with options on dozens more, and says the program will break even after 250 sales -- an objective it hopes to reach within three years.
"We're already well ahead of our own business plan," said Airbus CEO Noel Forgeard in an interview published on Monday in financial daily La Tribune.
Airbus trailed Boeing Co until 2003, when it delivered more planes than its US rival for the first time -- a feat it matched last year, with 320 deliveries to Boeing's 285, and it is likely to repeat the feat this year.
Sustaining that lead will depend partly on the outcome of Airbus' audacious bet on strong demand for the new behemoth, with its 80m wingspan and a tail that stands as high as a seven-story building.
Airbus hopes to sell 750 superjumbos to airlines operating services between the busiest airports, mainly in Asia, which serve as hubs, or stopovers between connecting flights.
Boeing, on the other hand, sees demand for only 400 jets larger than its 747 over the next two decades, as air passengers increasingly gravitate toward direct flights aboard a new generation of smaller, long-range jets like its planned 7E7.
In a three-class cabin layout, the A380 seats 33 percent more passengers than the 747 but offers 49 percent more floor space -- leaving additional room for features such as on-board shops, bars, casinos or even nurseries, which could fundamentally alter the experience of taking a long-haul flight.
How the extra space is used will be left up to the airlines, whose A380 cabin designs have remained closely guarded. In the future, low-cost carriers could operate the A380 with a single economy-class configuration accommodating as many as 800 passengers.
The superjumbo's entry into service next year is also a challenge to stretched airport infrastructure. Research group Frost & Sullivan says Airbus' biggest problem isn't the demand for the superjumbo, which it sees as potentially even higher than Airbus' own estimates.
"This is all very nice, but if you don't have airports that can handle the A380 it won't work," said Johan Orsingher, a senior consultant with the group.
London's Heathrow airport says it is spending over US$800 million providing everything from double-decker passenger ramps to enlarged baggage conveyors capable of processing 555 passengers on one flight.
Other airports are spending billions more on similar improvements, but there is concern that some may not be ready in time.
Even Paris Charles de Gaulle, which is home to A380 customer Air France, has just two A380-ready gates.
Operator Aeroports de Paris insists its airport will be ready for the plane, despite last year's partial collapse of the new terminal where they are both situated.
Airports in the US are also thought to be behind, although Orsingher said major airports in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago and Atlanta will have no choice but to catch up quickly.
"We've put some friendly pressure on two or three airport authorities that we consider to be a bit behind," Forgeard told La Tribune, without elaborating.
Forgeard was to play host to French President Jacques Chirac yesterday, as well as the leaders of Britain, Germany and Spain -- Airbus' other three government backers -- and CEOs from the 14 airlines and freight companies that have so far ordered the A380.
RETHINK? The defense ministry and Navy Command Headquarters could take over the indigenous submarine project and change its production timeline, a source said Admiral Huang Shu-kuang’s (黃曙光) resignation as head of the Indigenous Submarine Program and as a member of the National Security Council could affect the production of submarines, a source said yesterday. Huang in a statement last night said he had decided to resign due to national security concerns while expressing the hope that it would put a stop to political wrangling that only undermines the advancement of the nation’s defense capabilities. Taiwan People’s Party Legislator Vivian Huang (黃珊珊) yesterday said that the admiral, her older brother, felt it was time for him to step down and that he had completed what he
Taiwan has experienced its most significant improvement in the QS World University Rankings by Subject, data provided on Sunday by international higher education analyst Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) showed. Compared with last year’s edition of the rankings, which measure academic excellence and influence, Taiwanese universities made great improvements in the H Index metric, which evaluates research productivity and its impact, with a notable 30 percent increase overall, QS said. Taiwanese universities also made notable progress in the Citations per Paper metric, which measures the impact of research, achieving a 13 percent increase. Taiwanese universities gained 10 percent in Academic Reputation, but declined 18 percent
CHINA REACTS: The patrol and reconnaissance plane ‘transited the Taiwan Strait in international airspace,’ the 7th Fleet said, while Taipei said it saw nothing unusual The US 7th Fleet yesterday said that a US Navy P-8A Poseidon flew through the Taiwan Strait, a day after US and Chinese defense heads held their first talks since November 2022 in an effort to reduce regional tensions. The patrol and reconnaissance plane “transited the Taiwan Strait in international airspace,” the 7th Fleet said in a news release. “By operating within the Taiwan Strait in accordance with international law, the United States upholds the navigational rights and freedoms of all nations.” In a separate statement, the Ministry of National Defense said that it monitored nearby waters and airspace as the aircraft
UNDER DISCUSSION: The combatant command would integrate fast attack boat and anti-ship missile groups to defend waters closest to the coastline, a source said The military could establish a new combatant command as early as 2026, which would be tasked with defending Taiwan’s territorial waters 24 nautical miles (44.4km) from the nation’s coastline, a source familiar with the matter said yesterday. The new command, which would fall under the Naval Command Headquarters, would be led by a vice admiral and integrate existing fast attack boat and anti-ship missile groups, along with the Naval Maritime Surveillance and Reconnaissance Command, said the source, who asked to remain anonymous. It could be launched by 2026, but details are being discussed and no final timetable has been announced, the source