Airbus A380, Flight Craft

“A great addition to the highly popular Flight Craft Series. This book reviews the history of . . . an iconic and important aircraft in civil aviation.” —Firetrench

On April 27 2005, an aircraft under the power of six massive Rolls-Royce Trent 900 turbofan engines was making its first flight, and it was making history. For this was the Airbus A380, the largest passenger aircraft in the world.

With air traffic continuing to double every fifteen years, the A380 was designed by Airbus Industrie to meet the needs of the passengers and airports, while also delivering the level of efficiency necessary to protect the environment for future generations. The design incorporated two full-length decks with wide-body dimensions, meaning its two passenger levels offered an entire deck’s worth of additional space compared to the next largest twin-engine jetliner. With more seats than any other aircraft, the A380 offered solutions to overcrowding; needing fewer journeys to carry 60 percent more passengers, making it the perfect solution to airport congestion, fleet planning optimization and traffic growth. Typical seating capacity was 525, although the aircraft was certified to carry up to 853 passengers.

Production of the A380 peaked at thirty aircraft per year in 2012 and 2014. Then, in February 2019, the biggest customer, Emirates, announced that it was to reduce its latest order by thirty-nine aircraft in favour of two other Airbus Models, the A350 and A330neo, a version using the same engines as the Boeing 787 Dreamliner. For Airbus, it was the last act. The Company announced that production of the A380 would cease by 2021.

“Full of great information.” —Airport Spotting