Airplane A380 two decks four engines. A380 is an airplane. Modern aircraft. How much does Airbus A380 cost? List of airlines and destinations where the A380 flies

"Airbus A380", the photo of which is located below, is the largest passenger airliner on the planet. Its height is 24 meters, while its wingspan and length are about 80 meters. The aircraft is designed for flights up to 15.4 thousand kilometers. At the same time, it is capable of carrying up to 853 passengers at a time.

Project development

The purpose airbus creation The a380 was the desire of the eponymous manufacturing company to develop an aircraft that could properly compete with Boeing airplanes (at that time, its 747 model held the leadership in the wide-body passenger airliner market for 30 years). Engineers from the European consortium began development in June 1994, christening the project "3XX". Initially, the designers considered several options for creating an airliner. They ended up converting on a dual-deck concept that allowed for transportation. more passengers compared to the Boeing 747.

Board of Directors Airbus approved the launch of the program on December 19, 2000. At the same time, the model received its final name - A380. The characteristics of the aircraft were so impressive that already then orders for 55 of its copies were received from six different customers. In early 2001, the final configuration of the aircraft was approved, and a year later, production of the first wing components began. The total cost of the project, which took more than ten years to develop, is estimated at 12 billion euros.

Testing

Five copies of the Airbus A380 were originally built for testing and demonstration. The first of them was assigned the number MSN001, and on January 18, 2005, it was officially presented to the general public. It was this ship that made its first flight on April 27, 2005. The liner took to the sky with international airport Toulouse. Its crew, headed by Jacques Rosy, consisted of six people. After staying in the sky for 3 hours and 54 minutes, the aircraft landed successfully.

Your debut transatlantic flight the aircraft "Airbus A380" was carried out on January 10, 2006. Then the airliner arrived at the airport of the Colombian city of Medellin, where the operation of its systems in high altitude conditions was successfully tested. Then the vessel headed to Canada, where it was tested in severe frost.

The first flight with a cabin filled with people was carried out on September 4, 2006. At that time, 474 Airbus employees acted as passengers, who had to assess the level of comfort and quality of the services provided. In the same year, the aircraft was tested more than once, which made it possible to very carefully check its performance.

Start of operation

The first of the copies of the Airbus A380 was delivered to the customer (Singapore Airlines) on October 15, 2007. Just ten days after that, the plane made its first commercial flight, departing from Singapore to Sydney. After two months of operation of the vessel, the President " Singapore Airlines"Said that the new product significantly outperforms the Boeing-747 in basic characteristics, including fuel consumption per passenger. On January 25, 2008, the ship of the second customer, Qantas, made its debut flight from Melbourne to Los Angeles.

Salon

The developers have provided two options for the internal configuration of the Airbus A380 model. Photos of the airliner's cabin are a clear confirmation that the surface area of its floor is significantly higher than that of the main competitor. Be that as it may, the standard version of the aircraft provides for business and economy class seats, located on two decks. In this case, 555 passengers can be carried on board at the same time. In addition, there is a budget option aircraft. In this case, 853 seats are installed inside, belonging to the economy class. At the request of the customer company, bars, a library, a conference room and even showers can be provided on the ground floor of the aircraft. It should be noted that at least an hour before using the shower, you must leave a request, and the water will flow no longer than five minutes. The lower and upper decks are interconnected by two ladders located in the aft and bow sections. They are wide enough so that two adults can pass each other.

Main characteristics

The model provides two options for power plants. The first is the Rolls-Royce Trent-900 engine and the second is the Engine Alliance GP7000 engine. In both cases, thrust reversers are installed on two of the four power units. The maximum flight range of the liner is 15.4 thousand kilometers, while its cargo modification with 150 tons of cargo on board is capable of covering a distance of 10.3 thousand kilometers without refueling. The greatest takeoff weight exceeds 650 tons. Moreover, experts argue that the parameters of the wing are sufficient for possible future, larger modifications of the Airbus A380. At the same time, its characteristics and configuration will be changed slightly.

Compared to its main competitors, the model is more economical. In particular, for every hundred kilometers of travel, an average of three liters of fuel is required here per passenger. The weight of the aircraft itself is 280 tons. Its reduction, according to the developers, was one of the priority tasks even at the production stage. It was achieved through the use of composite materials for the creation of most of the aggregates and assemblies, as well as improved aluminum alloys. As for the emission of harmful substances into the atmosphere, they (per passenger) amount to about 75 grams per kilometer.

Cockpit and crew

The cockpit of the Airbus A380 model (the photo can be seen below) is practically no different from other aircraft of this manufacturer. This was done in order to reduce the cost of training crew members. To display all the necessary information, nine liquid crystal displays are installed inside. They are all interchangeable and measure 20x15 centimeters. In this case, two screens are used as indicators of navigation data, two - show basic flight data, two - display the characteristics of the functioning of power plants. In addition to them, one monitor serves to display the status of the entire system, and two more are multifunctional. The crew consists of 27 people, including two pilots and flight attendants in all classes. If the flight duration exceeds fourteen hours, two more pilots are added.

Operation on the ground

Even at the development stage of the Airbus A380 airliner project, skeptics argued that the car, due to its enormous weight, would harm airport taxiways. The designers managed to solve a potential problem by installing 22 wheels on the chassis. Thus, they exert pressure on the earth's surface, which is even less than that of the main competitors. Due to the wingspan, the model was first assigned to the sixth aircraft group, which requires a runway at least 60 meters wide. However, at the request of the manufacturer, this position was revised. As a result, since July 2007, the airliner has been assigned to the fifth group, so it is allowed to take off and land on 45-meter strips.

Conclusion

The Airbus A380 became the first civilian airliner in the history of world aviation to have two full-size decks along the entire length of the fuselage. The aircraft can carry on board 30% more passengers compared to its main competitor, which is the American Boeing-747. The flight range of the aircraft allows airlines to use it to carry out non-stop flights on all routes between the airports of Asia and Europe. It should also be noted that the engineers of the developer company have done a large-scale and successful work aimed at ensuring that the liner can be operated without making any changes to the infrastructure of the air harbors.

Airbus A380 (Airbus A380) - the largest aircraft of the Airbus S.A.S. (European Union) and the largest passenger aircraft in the world. It is the world's first long-haul civil aircraft with two full-size decks along the entire length of the fuselage. The decks are connected by two wide staircases at the bow and aft.

The liner can make non-stop flights over a distance of 15,000 kilometers and take on board a third more passengers than a Boeing 747.
Airbus A380 is the most economical among large liners: 100 kilometers consumes three liters of fuel per passenger.
The main competitor of this model is the Boeing 747.

The first flight was on April 27, 2005.
First aircraft sold - MSN003, registration number 9V-SKA, delivered to Singapore Airlines on October 15, 2007. First commercial transcontinental flight with passengers (flight from Singapore to Australia, flight number SQ380, there were 455 people on board) - October 25, 2007.

The Airbus A380 has 12 single and several double suites.
The suites are furnished with a bed, wardrobe, reading lights, a mirror and a 23-inch TV. At the request of the airlines, bars, billiard rooms, showers, a library and a conference room can be built on the first floor of the liner.
The cost of a flight from London to Singapore in luxury class (for 2005) is about $ 10,000.

For first-class passengers, pajamas with slippers are provided, it is possible to close the windows and the door of the cockpit with special curtains.
The cost of one airliner (for 2005) is $ 281 million, which is 15 percent cheaper than a double-deck Boeing 747.

The number of assembled airliners A380 (as of March 2008) - 27.
As of March 2009, A380 aircraft are in the fleet of three airlines: Singapore Airlines, Qantas Airways, Emirates.

The first airport in Russia, which agreed to receive an Airbus A380, is Moscow's Domodedovo.

History of creation

Development of the liner began in 1994 under the code A3XX and continued for 10 years. The designation A380 was chosen because the number 8 resembles the cross-section of this double-deck aircraft.

The cost of the program is 12 million euros. The most difficult part of the project was the problem of reducing the mass of the aircraft. This was achieved through the use of a new composite material from which the fuselage and wings are made.

Already at the design stage, 55 orders were received from 6 customers.
The final aircraft configuration was approved in January 2001. Production of the first A380 wing components began on 23 January 2002.

The main structural sections of the airliner were built at factories in France, Germany, Spain, Great Britain.
Components for the A380 were supplied by: Rolls-Royce, SAFRAN, United Technologies, General Electric, Goodrich and other well-known companies.

The most ambitious project of a European aircraft manufacturer brought him big problems. The main problems were found in the wiring of the aircraft. Each aircraft required 100,000 wires and 40,300 connectors, which equates to about 530 kilometers of wiring. The problems were solved within two years.

The A380 has an improved glass cockpit and electric remote control of the rudders linked to the side stick. Information display devices are located in the cockpit: nine interchangeable liquid crystal monitors, including two navigation data indicators, two main flight data indicators, two engine operation indicators, two multifunctional ones. Another monitor displays data on current state the entire system as a whole.

After assembly, the aircraft were equipped and painted in Hamburg. It takes 3,600 liters of paint to cover the skin of each liner (3100 square meters).

To service the A380, special terminals are needed for boarding passengers.
The load on the runway pavement was measured using a special 580 tonne laden bogie built to mimic the A380 chassis. For the Airbus A380, the tracks of group V are sufficient - 45 meters; their extension to the estimated 60 meters is not required.

Five A380s were built for demonstration and testing purposes.
On September 4, 2006, the first flight test of the A380 with passengers on board took place. The purpose of the flight was to test the comfort and quality of passenger services. The plane took off from Toulouse with 474 employees of the Airbus S.A.S. on board.
In November 2006, test flights took place in order to check the aircraft's performance under standard operating conditions on the airline.
The start of operation of the A380 was delayed for almost two years due to a number of technical problems, which cost Airbus 8.5 billion euros.

Airbus A380 Specifications

The liner has four engines - Rolls-Royce Trent 900 or Engine Alliance GP 7000.
The cabin noise level of the A380 is 50 percent lower than that of the Boeing 747. Higher air pressure is maintained inside the aircraft. According to the developers, these characteristics will reduce passenger fatigue on long non-stop flights.

Dimensions:
Wingspan: 79.80 meters.
Plane length: 73.00 meters.
Plane height: 24.10 meters.
Wing area: 845.00 square meters.
Wing sweep angle along the 1/4 chord line (degrees): 33.50.

Number of places:
Passengers in the cabin of three classes: 555.
Passengers in the cabin of two classes: 644.
Charter passengers: 853.

Weights and loads:
Takeoff: 560 tons.
Empty equipped aircraft: 276.8 tons.
Aircraft without fuel: 361 tons.
Paid load: 66.4 tons.
Landing: 386 tons.

Flight data:
Cruising speed: 900 kilometers per hour.
Flight range with passengers and luggage (with fuel reserves): 15,000 kilometers.
Service ceiling: 13,000 meters.

Incidents

On January 10, 2008, a Singapore Airlines A380 was unable to fly from Singapore to Sydney due to a tractor breakdown. The liner continued to move by inertia for some time, then moved off the lane and rolled out onto the lawn. As a result of the accident, no one was injured, the plane was not damaged.

Prospective modifications of the A380

It is planned to create the following passenger modifications: A380-800 for 555 seats, a shortened A380-700 for 480 seats and an extended A380-900 for 656 seats. A cargo modification A380F has also been developed, capable of transporting goods with a total weight of up to 150 tons over a distance of up to 10,400 kilometers.
Employees of the Airbus ECAR Engineering Center in Moscow have already completed a number of important assignments under the A380F program.
Russian designers have been instructed to carry out a significant amount of work on the design of fuselage parts, strength calculations, placement of onboard equipment and support for the serial production of aircraft.

Airbus, with its A380, has raised the level of comfort in flight to an altitude unattainable for other aircraft. The entire second floor is dedicated to business and first classes. Chairs are folded into beds and passengers are given mattresses for convenience. Each passenger has a refrigerator with drinks next to the seat, and in the tail you can sit in a full-fledged bar, lazily discussing the problems of launching a hadron collider with a talkative bartender. What can we say if 2 spacious showers are installed in the nose of the aircraft. For the first time in my life, I didn't want the flight to end.

Before going to the Le Bourget air show, my friend Sergei aviator_ru Martirosyan issued me a journalistic certificate, which I showed to the flight attendants and they gave me a real tour of the plane ...

Economy and business class passengers board the plane through different bridges and are separated from each other during the flight:

There are only 4 seats in each row:

Passengers are given socks, a sleeping mask and seat stickers so that the flight attendant knows how to behave if you fall asleep:

There is a special compartment for shoes under the mattress in the footwell:

The armchair folds out into an almost horizontal bed. My height is 182 cm, but I did not rest against the wall with my feet. There was enough space:

After dinner, they laid a mattress for me and put a pillow:

A 17-inch touchscreen is installed in front of each passenger, electrical Outlet, 2 USB ports (I don't know why), a triple headphone jack and a multimedia system control panel combined with a satellite phone:

Also, each chair has its own large control panel, which, moreover, controls the lighting, the position of the chair and turns on the massage mode for the back and seat:

The aircraft has several external cameras and the passenger can choose any of them:

It is especially interesting to watch the flight through the tail chamber. You can see the plane diving into the clouds when landing:

At the airport, using the same camera, you feel (what a hissing word!) The dimensions of the A380:

There is also a mode showing the location of the aircraft on the map:

In the tail there is a bar where alcoholic and soft drinks are poured free of charge:

At the counter, trays with sandwiches and cakes were being updated all the time:

There are 2 sofas installed along the walls, with seat belts:

Flying "to the bar" is incredibly pleasant and comfortable. The flight goes unnoticed:

For dinner, I chose a light shrimp salad:

The A380 has 5 toilets on the second floor and 10 on the first, in economy class:

In addition to the toilets, there are two shower rooms in the bow for first class passengers. True, you need to order them an hour before use and the water flows for only 5 minutes:

First class passengers have their own bar, where drinks are more exclusive, but there is no bartender:

Down next to the showers goes down main staircase leading to the first floor, to the cockpit and to the economy class cabin:

The pilots have a separate room:

And at the end, a few facts about this plane:

The aircraft has 14 first-class seats, 76 business-class seats and 396 economy-class seats. The 7-hour flight is serviced by a team of 27 people:

2 pilots
4 senior flight attendants
4 flight attendants in first class
8 flight attendants in business class
8 cabin crew in economy class
1 bath attendant preparing showers

During the 14-hour flight, 2 more pilots and 1 bath attendant are added to the crew. A total of 30 people.

The wingspan is 80 meters. Fuel stock - 240 tons. In the air, the A380 should diverge from other aircraft at a distance of at least 10 kilometers, since even a humpbacked Boeing 747 can turn over in its aerodynamic currents.

During the flight, the engine noise is practically inaudible. The cabin is very quiet and only ventilation rustles at the ceiling. All the flight attendants are friendly and constantly smiling. Even when they are in the kitchen and think that no one sees them. In the salon, you immerse yourself in the atmosphere of celebration and luxury:

At the end of the last century, aviation industry was at the peak of civil aircraft development. For 30 years Boeing - 747 has had a great advantage over other companies.

The aircraft had a large capacity and excellent flight characteristics, which encouraged other companies to develop better models that could compete with Boeing.

A380 passenger plane

In 1994, Airbus began developing a new model of a large passenger liner that would compete with the Boeing 747.

The company's engineers developed many variants of the aircraft, after which the project was named A3XX. Boeing engineers also participated in the development, who in parallel were developing a new and improved version of the existing Boeing 747 airliner.

The joint work was completed in 1996, after which, due to the crisis, Boeing was forced to close the project.

At that time, the company developed a project for the A340 passenger liner, which had not high flight characteristics, but good capacity. But these indicators did not reach the characteristics of competitors. One of the problems with the model was the large weight of the liner.

In 1996, engineers adopted the option of using a two-deck aircraft design, which had many advantages. Only in 2000, after financing the project, new model received the name A380 - the largest airbus in the world, its parameters are simply grandiose.

The design of the new airliner Airbus A380 was approved only in 2001, after which it began mass production parts and components, which was conducted in four countries. After that, everything was delivered to Toulouse, where work took place on the collection of the passenger liner.

Airbus A380 861 in operation Emirates airlines Airline

The first A380 was built in 2005, after which it was demonstrated in Toulouse. Airbus made its first flight in the same year; during the tests, all the shortcomings were identified, which were reworked and corrected.

At the end of 2007, the Airbus A380 aircraft passed certification, after which the model was put into mass production.

Features of the world's largest Airbus A380-800

The technical characteristics of the A380 are shown in the table:

The size

Weight

Passenger compartment

Flight data

The passenger capacity of the A380 depends on the airline that operates the aircraft. Airbus characteristics A380s are designed for 525 seats divided into 3 classes or 853 economy class seats.

Airlines that use different configurations of the A380:

Singapore Airlines - package for 471 seats;
Qantas equipment for 450 seats;
Korean Air - equipment for 407 seats;
Lufthansa - equipment for 526 seats;

The rest of the airlines use standard equipment.

Interior layouts and seating arrangements

The two-story Airbus has two decks, an upper and a lower, which are connected by two staircases at the aft and bow of the aircraft. The decks accommodate first, business and economy classes.

First grade

As with all passenger liners, the first class is located closer to the nose of the aircraft. All seats in this class are the most expensive and comfortable. But each class has both advantages and minor disadvantages. 1 and 4 are located near the toilet, which can cause discomfort.

Business Class

Business class is located in the center of the aircraft and has comfortable seats with plenty of free space. The armchairs can freely unfold into the bed, which is very convenient for a long flight. The most inconvenient places here are places in the 6th and 26th rows, which are close to the toilet. Also, the 21st glad is located next to the bar, which can bring discomfort.

Economy class

Economy class is located on the lower deck of the passenger liner and can move up to 400 seats. The main disadvantage is that the seats do not get loose, so you will have to spend the entire flight in a sitting position. The most inconvenient place in this class is the 88th row, which is located next to the toilet.

The best places

The best seats are not only in first and business class. In economy class, you can feel good in the 45, 54 and 82 rows. The 68th and 81st rows are also comfortable, the main advantage of these seats is the close location with the windows. Rows 43, 52, 67, 68 and 80 can be considered comfortable, which have a lot of legroom. The worst places are in the 88th row, which are located near the wall and toilet.

The creation and start of production of the Airbus A380 double-deck wide-body airliner put an end to the undivided monopoly of the aircraft, which lasted for several decades. The machine is the largest by passenger liner in the world.

Reliability and reduced operating costs provide good demand for a car, despite high cost... The most expensive option was delivered to the king's family Saudi Arabia, and cost the customer $ 488 million.

History of creation

The start of work on a new large-sized airliner "Airbus" started in the late 1980s. The aircraft was created as a competitor to the Boeing 747 airliner, which monopolistically occupied the niche of such aircraft since the 70s. In parallel, a similar aircraft was developed by the McDonnell Douglas Corporation, but its project was a failure.

Both Boeing and Airbus were aware of the limitations of the high-capacity aircraft market, so in 1993 attempts were made to negotiate a partnership that would divide the market. At the same time, the development of projects called Airbus 3XX and Boeing 747X proceeded.

Several variants of the fuselage were worked out for the Airbus, including a double-length fuselage from the model 340. The Boeing was supposed to be equipped with a fuselage with an increased nose section.

The development of the Boeing project was stopped at the beginning of 1997 due to the outbreak of the economic crisis in East Asia, which has shrunk the market for large liners.

Airbus decided to continue developing the project, focusing on reducing operating costs while increasing capacity. It was then that the decision was made to use a double-deck fuselage, which ensured the maximum capacity of the aircraft.

The A380 designation appeared at the end of 2000, when the project was approved by the then Airbus management. Assembly of the first aircraft began in 2002. The peculiarity of the manufacture of the A380 aircraft was the use of production facilities several dozen businesses scattered throughout Europe.

The first flight of the Airbus A380 took place in the spring of 2005, and in early 2006 the first test flight across the Atlantic Ocean was performed.

Finishing the design and solving problems with suppliers pushed the start of aircraft production to 2007, in which only one copy was delivered. Actual deliveries did not begin until the following year, in which 12 A380s were assembled.

At the beginning of 2017, 207 Airbus A380 airliners owned by twelve airlines were in active operation. During the operation of the aircraft, several minor flight accidents were recorded.

In particular, in the fall of 2017 on one of the airliners of the Air France company, the elements of a turbojet engine were separated in flight. A manufacturing defect in the fan bushing of the GP7200 engine was recognized as the cause of the accident.

Fuselage and cockpit

The fuselage of the Airbus A380-800 is equipped with two decks for accommodating passenger seats. Ladders are installed between the decks, located in the bow and aft sections of the passenger compartment. When arranging the stairs, it was possible to provide a width sufficient for the free movement of passengers towards each other.

Carbon fiber composites are widely used in the fuselage structure.

The end section of the fuselage is entirely made of composite. A tail horizontal and vertical stabilizer is attached to it. A service compartment and an auxiliary gas turbine unit with a generator are located inside.

In the forward part of the fuselage there is a cockpit equipped with two seats. To display data, liquid crystal monitors (“glass cockpit” concept) of a unified design are installed in the cockpit, which makes it possible to replace devices.

Pilots do not have a traditional steering wheel. The steering wheel is replaced by joysticks located on the outside of the seats. Joysticks are associated with electric drive controls. The cockpit has over 100,000 wires connecting various electronic and electrical components.

In front of the pilots there is a folding table with a keyboard. Controls are located between the seats, including four throttle levers for controlling the engine operating modes.

The Airbus A380 wing was created based on a take-off weight of at least 650 thousand kg, which is considered achievable in future versions.

In addition, this weight was planned for the cargo version of the A380-800F aircraft, which never went into production.

Engines

Depending on the modification, the Airbus A380 can be equipped with Rolls-Royce Trent 900 or Engine Alliance GP7200 turbojet engines.

The GP7200 powerplant is a collection of components developed by several of the largest engine manufacturers. Both types of engines meet modern noise requirements for takeoff and landing.

The table shows some of the characteristics of the motors.

Parameter	Trent 900	GP7200
A type	Turbofan three-shaft	Turbofan twin-shaft
Combustion chamber type	Single	Single room with a reduced level of emission of harmful substances
Turbine design	One high and one medium pressure stage, 5 low pressure stages	Two-stage high pressure and 6-stage low
Compressor	One fan wheel, 8-stage medium pressure and 6-stage high	Fan, 5-stage low pressure and 9-stage high pressure
Length, mm	5478	4920
Diameter, mm	2950	3160
Weight, kg	6246	6712
Takeoff thrust, kN	310-340	311

To reduce the mileage, the two engines have thrust reverse (one under each wing). The engines use aviation kerosene as fuel.

Prospecting work is underway to operate power plants using a mixture of kerosene and natural gas converted into liquid fuel. The fuel supply is located in 13 caisson tanks located in the wings and horizontal tail.

The fuel system has 41 pumps that constantly pump fuel between tanks to maintain alignment and reduce drag.

Passenger compartment design

The sealed passenger compartment of the Airbus A380 has improved sound insulation. The width of the fuselage can accommodate 11 rows of passenger seats.

All locations are connected to fiber-optic communication lines.

Passengers embark and disembark through two doors located in the forward fuselage on the lower deck.