Biggest passenger aircraft in the world
ready for roll-out
Karl Morgenstern and Jan Schulz
Is it possible to reinvent the dream of
flying? How about the idea of a small village taking to the air? Spread over two floors,
800 people will soon be able to fly in the largest commercial aircraft ever built, which
will glide through the air quietly at high speed, consuming less fuel than a small car. It
will be able to cover distances of up to 15,000 kilometres non-stop – with offices on
board, a fitness centre, play areas, conference rooms, and bedrooms. With its imposing
measurements, the Airbus A380 does not only represent the realization of a dream, but also
a new dimension in aviation. Its length of 73 metres, height of 24 metres, and wingspan of
80 metres, make it the giant of passenger aircraft, an aircraft of superlatives. The
latest chapter in civil aviation is already being written in Europe and will soon be
opened: The new two-storey long-haul jet will be officially presented on January 18.
Its components come from 16 different Airbus
plants. Hamburg makes the front and rear fuselage sections, the 40-metre wings come from
Great Britain, the central fuselage section from Nantes in France, and the elevators from
Spain. Final assembly takes place in Toulouse, France, while cabin fittings are installed
and livery painting is carried out in Hamburg. The whole operation represents an XXL
high-precision jigsaw puzzle with four million individual parts. Together they form
today’s most modern aircraft – an environmentally friendly, low-noise plane
crammed full of innovative high technology from cockpit to tail. Even the development
costs deserve a place in the Guinness Book of Records: totalling 11 billion US dollars,
they make the mega jet Europe’s most expensive industrial product.
Nevertheless, it appears this will be a
rewarding investment: already, eleven customers from Europe, Australia, America and Asia
have ordered 129 of these four-engined "21st-century jets" – at a cost of
approximately 270 million dollars. Sixty international airports are already planning to
complete the necessary building modifications to accommodate the giant aircraft by 2010.
The Airbus A380 is intended to become the Europeans’ proud flagship, like the Boeing
747, the jumbo jet, has been for Americans for more than three decades – and it will
certainly become its strongest competitor in the future.
Airbus delivered 305 aircraft in 2003,
overtaking US competitor Boeing and putting the consortium more than a cockpit ahead of
the previous industry leader. Deliveries were similarly high last year. That represents an
incredible 25 aircraft a month. What is more, the order books at Airbus contain some 1,500
jets, which means that the 16 European Airbus plants will have plenty of work for the next
five years.
Around 20,000 men and women work at the seven
Airbus locations in Germany alone. In Hamburg Finkenwerder, where the two-engined A318 and
the "bestselling" A319 and A321 are prepared for delivery, production is being
increased from the current figure of 11 to a total of 17 aircraft a month. This entails a
great deal of work for the 9,900 Airbus employees on the banks of the Elbe. Today Airbus
is the largest employer in the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg, where more people now
work in the aviation industry than in the port that made the city famous for centuries.
The innovative thing about Airbus is its
transnational cooperation. However, the joint venture under the EADS (European Aeronautic
Defence and Space Company) umbrella is also permanently engaged on trailblazing work on
new materials and production processes. One of the most remarkable and most innovative
Airbus installations is the facility in Stade, where "black art" is no longer
magic. The north German town has become one of the world’s leading research and
production centres for carbon fibre composite materials (CFK) and related new materials.
In coming years, the new Composite Technology Centre (CTC) in CFK Valley Stade will
undoubtedly have a significant influence not only on aircraft manufacturing, but also and
to an even greater extent in the rail, ship and automobile industries. All Airbus vertical
tails are produced in Stade, including the immense 14-metre-tall CFK components for the
giant A380. These vertical tail areas are among the largest structures made of carbon
fibre composite materials ever produced on an industrial scale. More than 20% of the new
A380 will consist of extremely light CFK materials, which weigh 70% less than steel and
40% less than aluminum.
Naturally, the other European Airbus partners
also make their contribution to the success of the enterprise: the British, who build the
wings; the French, with the Airbus headquarters in Toulouse and facilities in Nazaire and
Nantes; and the Spanish, with plants in Getafe, Illescas and Puerto Real/Cádiz –
high-tech everywhere. Eventually, in Toulouse and Hamburg, the large and small components
from the 16 Airbus locations are assembled into the aircraft that now fly to all the
world’s airports, advertising the quality of European workmanship. However, Airbus
does not only owe its success to the quality of its aircraft, which have blazed new trails
in the industry with the very latest technology – for example, fly-by-wire controls.
Equally important has been the "family strategy," which is an incredibly simple
idea: identical technology, identical cockpits, identical parts and structures. This
"communality concept" enables pilots to switch between short-range aircraft like
the A320 and long-haul jets like the A340 without difficulty. It also dramatically reduces
maintenance costs and is one of the most important purchasing arguments for airlines.
The world of aviation has changed
dramatically since the first multinational consultations were held at the Salon
Aeronautique in Paris in 1965 and the maiden flight of the first Airbus A300B1 in 1972.
The Europeans, who were not taken very seriously on the other side of the Atlantic for
well over a decade, can now face US giant Boeing eye-to-eye. And all this has occurred
because nearly forty years ago a few expert enthusiasts like Henri Ziegler, Roger Beteille
and Felix Kracht believed in an idea that initially appeared rather idealistic. Today,
Airbus is a concrete reality, and tomorrow the A380 megajet will be able to fly non-stop
around the world – a new interpretation of the old dream of flying.
(Text courtesy: Deutschland
Magazine, Embassy of Germany, Kathmandu.) |
