The World's Biggest Business Aircraft

The A380 is the world's biggest business aircraft operating today, capable of carrying 544 travellers in a convenient four-class setup. There are two full-length customer decks on the A380. A primary panel and an upper deck, conveniently connected by steps forwards and backwards. Overall, its two floors provide more than the biggest twin-engine aircraft with a whole layer of ground surface, enabling carriers to optimize their flight range. A new air travel standard as Airbus has incorporated the latest technology to enhance passenger comfort and overall experience.

The A380 has been designed for passengers.

(design)Its enhanced aerodynamics, advanced flight control technology and commonality with all Airbus fly-by-wire airline provides a smooth, stable flight from start to land. Furthermore, its innovative cockpit provides pilots with increased situational awareness to promote aloft comfort for travellers. Passengers will enjoy today's most environmentally friendly wide body jetliner in the skies with the latest technology.

(design)Composite materials represent 25% of the structural weight of the A380, resulting in an aircraft that effectively full fills the commitment of the aviation industry to minimize greenhouse gas emissions producing only 75 grams of CO2 per passenger kilo-meter.

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The A380 also reduces noise emissions from modern engines and their state-of - the-art aerodynamic design, ensuring that the aircraft can operate at even the most noise-sensitive destinations. Relax inside the cabin and enjoy a peaceful environment with technology for acoustic treatment and noise dampening that provides up to three times quieter environment than competition. Use the in-flight entertainment system with larger screens for all classes at your seat to keep the passenger connected, watch movies, listen to music, or play games on demand.

Airbus began to explore the possibility of developing a jet with passenger capacity over 500 in the early 1990s to compete directly with the Boeing 747. Until 1994, when the aircraft was known as the A3XX, engineering and design did not start. Airbus considered a twin-tailfin wide-body design but instead adopted a double-deck design. The aircraft was eventually designated as A380, which does not maintain the usual number sequence of other Airbus aircraft. The "8" was selected because it reflects the cross-section of the passenger area of the double deck of the aircraft. The first orders for the A380 came in 2000, and Airbus started laying the infrastructure to manufacture the huge aircraft. This included massive hangars and factories in France, Wales, Germany, Spain, and England. In 2002, the A380 project had over 6,000 staff. While work was being done at the production end, sales were also picking up, with 14 airlines ordering 154 A380 at the beginning of 2005. On January 18, 2005, the first complete A380 was unveiled. His first flight took place on April 27, 2005. The first flight was on September 5, 2006 with a load of passengers and the second on March 19, 2007. Although Airbus initially announced that it would still be in a position to deliver the first aircraft to Singapore Airlines by the end of 2006, the company announced further delays after the first test flight and now plans to deliver by October 2007.

It's the largest passenger jet ever built and so huge that to accommodate it, airports must be redesigned. It can pack more passengers and cargo than any other commercial airliner, yet its designers claim that it will actually increase efficiency, use less fuel and generate less noise. The Airbus A380 is a giant indeed. It has a wing span of 261.8 feet (79.8 metres), a length of 239.5 feet (73 metres) and a maximum take-off weight of more than 1.2 million pounds (540,000 kg). While it is the largest passenger airliner ever manufactured, it is not the world's largest aircraft to honour the Ukrainian An-225 Cossack.

An aircraft of this size might carry hundreds more passengers than the airliners of today. The two passenger decks of the A380 with a cargo deck below could be fitted in one-class configuration to accommodate up to 840 passengers. Airbus does not focus on this option instead designs a three-class configuration for 555 passengers. This is still a significant increase over the 416 passengers that can fit into a Boeing 747-400, the current passenger capacity leader. The twin-aisle, twin-deck passenger cabin of the A380 offers a whole new level of comfort to the long-distance traveller. A cabin designed around a large sample of the actual passengers of today offering more space irrespective of ticket class, wider seats and aisles. The A380 travel experience can be further enhanced by the optional lower deck use for resting areas, business, bar or other amenities. The reality is that seats in the economy class will be about 1 inch (2.54 cm) wider, while seats in the first class can fold into beds. Some even suggested that the A380 could be equipped with a "luxury jet," including a casino, shops, hot tubs and double beds. Most airlines seek efficiency rather than luxury, and this is also provided by the A380. It has an 8,000 nautical miles range and uses a host of new technologies and better engines to boost fuel efficiency. The operating cost of an A380 is not significantly higher than the size and capacity of the Boeing 747, the nearest passenger jet. Every extra passenger on an A380 represents money that the airline has made on a smaller plane above and beyond what it could have done. The increased range also helps to add "seat-miles" per flight to an increased number. According to Airbus, the end result is a 15 to 20 percent drop in operating costs per passenger.

In an effort to make the A380 as fuel efficient and environmentally friendly as possible, Airbus has also introduced several updated technologies. Rolls-Royce is developing high-efficiency engines and an engine alliance partnership between General Electric and Pratt & Whitney. The use of lightweight materials helped to keep the weight down, while extensive wind tunnel testing led to the A380's optimal aerodynamic shape. Special dampers keep the noise level down to about half that of other jumbo jets coming from the engines. Carbon fibber is used on key parts of the A380, a strong, light but expensive material. Approximately 25 percent of the overall structure of the plane is made of reinforced carbon fibber plastic (CFRP). Engineers use different processes to create the different shapes that make up the A380. A computer-controlled tape-laying machine processes carbon-fibber tapes impregnated with resin in a pressurized autoclave for large, flat pieces. The CFRP fabric is dry in shape for curved pieces and then impregnated with resin. For some parts, computerized industrial sewing machines stitched large pieces of carbon fibber together.