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Emirates airline said Monday it would launch nonstop service between Dubai and New York on August 1, the first service to the United States with the new Airbus A380 superjumbo. "The United States represent a key focus area in Emirates' route development plans, and we are delighted to be the first airline to launch commercial A380 services to the continent," said Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al-Maktoum, chairman and chief executive of the largest airline in the Middle East. "We are confident that Emirates' customers traveling to and from North America will welcome the A380's additional space and capacity, as well...

The aging planes of United, American, and Delta guzzle more gas and make the U.S. carriers more vulnerable to soaring oil prices—and to their global competitors For a look at one of the biggest headaches facing U.S. airlines, head out to Paris' Charles de Gaulle airport any day and watch the big jets taking off for the U.S. There goes United Airlines to Chicago, American Airlines to Boston, Delta Air Lines to Atlanta, and Air France to New York's John F. Kennedy airport. What's the big deal? Many of the U.S. carriers' planes are Boeing 767s, a model that dates...

Noël Forgeard, once the most powerful man in Europe's aerospace industry, suffered a stinging humiliation yesterday as he was detained by police in connection with the insider trading allegations that have rocked EADS, the aerospace and defence giant. Mr Forgeard was summoned for questioning by the Paris police's financial division, where he was told that he would be placed in custody over claims that he used privileged information to earn millions of euros from his stock options in 2006. The move increased fears that EADS's current executives could receive similar treatment. Mr Forgeard, 61, could be put under formal...

India's Kingfisher to firm up A380 options: report By Nicholas Ionides India’s Kingfisher Airlines is reportedly planning to firm up its options on five Airbus A380s. Kingfisher chairman and CEO Vijay Mallya is quoted on the website of India’s Mint newspaper as saying that “I am planning to convert the options to confirmed orders”. The carrier in 2005 became the first Indian airline to commit to the A380 when it placed firm orders for five of the ultra-large aircraft and took options on five more. Deliveries are due to begin in 2011. Kingfisher, which launched services in 2005, currently only...

Der Flugzeughersteller Airbus hält an Plänen für eine noch größere Version des A380 fest. Mit der Entwicklung eines solchen Flugzeuges werde das Unternehmen voraussichtlich aber erst dann beginnen, wenn die Produktion des aktuellen Modelles A380-800 auf 40 Flugzeuge pro Jahr hochgefahren ist, so Verkaufschef John Leahy. Dieses Ziel strebt Airbus für das Jahr 2010 an. Der A380-900 hätte in einer normalen Auslegung Platz für rund 650 Passagiere. Würde man das Flugzeug nur mit Economy-Sitzen ausstatten, würden sogar rund 900 Passagiere mitfliegen können. Der größte A380-Kunde, die Dubaier Fluggesellschaft Emirates, hat schon seit längerem großes Interesse an dem Flugzeug. (...)

Saudi prince buys world's first 'Flying Palace' By Aislinn Simpson  Last Updated: 3:07pm GMT 12/11/2007     A Saudi billionaire has raised the stakes in the rich mens' toys game by investing in the world's first ever "Flying Palace".Rumours have been swirling for some time about who would be the first to sign up for the "VVIP version" of the new double-decker Airbus A380.   Prince Al-Waleed signs on the dotted line to purchase his Airbus 380 at the Dubai air show   Commercial airlines including Singapore Airlines have already taken possession of some of the planes and during last...

Tony and Julie Elwood booked the first A380 double suite but the journalists clamouring to see inside their room prevented them from beating the sex ban Steve Bleach The A380 may have the world’s first airborne double bed, but it won’t be put to the obvious use if Singapore Airlines has its way: “If couples used our double beds to engage in inappropriate activity, we would politely ask them to desist,� said the company’s Stephen Forshaw. “There are things that are acceptable on an aircraft and things that aren’t, and the rules for behaviour in our double beds are the...

The new Airbus A380 proudly flown by Singapore Airlines last week is a huge aircraft with plenty of room for all kinds of activities. Except one: sex. If you're thinking of booking the world's first flying double bed, you'll first need a lot of money. And second of all, no desire to have sex. Singapore Airlines has said that if couples using the double suites "engage in inappropriate activity," they'll be politely asked to stop. One of the first couples to fly in the suite thought this seemed a bit unfair since the flight attendants kept bringing champagne. We agree...

As my taxi pulled up at Changi airport, I knew this was going to be a special day - the day of the first A380 commercial flight was finally here. The airport had long been adorned with banners and posters declaring Singapore "A380 ready" and anticipating the flight.

TOULOUSE, France – Nearly two years late, Airbus finally delivered its first A380 superjumbo on Monday, a revolutionary behemoth that includes luxury suites equipped with comfy double beds. Customer Singapore Airlines says the passenger jet, the world's largest, was worth the wait, and the delivery marks a badly needed morale-boosting milestone for Airbus. Singapore Airlines Chief Executive Chew Choon Seng said his airline was inconvenienced by the late delivery, but added, “We are glad that Airbus took the time to make sure that the plane is fully tested and developed before it enters commercial service.” For Airbus, big challenges with...

PARIS - After repeated, embarrassing delays, Airbus will deliver its first A380 superjumbo jet Monday - a critical step for the European planemaker in its efforts to rebound from a string of troubles. The double-decker jet, the world's largest passenger plane, is to take off from the southwestern city of Toulouse, Airbus' headquarters, for delivery to Singapore Airlines following a glitzy ceremony including a sound and light show. President and CEO Thomas Enders called the handover "a major milestone for the A380 program" in a statement released by Airbus on Friday. Airbus has gone though five CEOs as multiple delays...

WINDSOR LOCKS - A test model of the world's largest passenger jet landed Tuesday at Bradley International Airport, the first of three stops this week to prepare the aircraft for U.S. service. The Airbus A380, whose engines are assembled by Connecticut-based Pratt & Whitney workers, landed at Bradley around 8:20 a.m. EDT after flying over employees outside Pratt's facilities in East Hartford and Middletown. The 239-foot-long airliner has wings as long as a football field and is powered by four engines. The model seats up to 555 passengers in a three-class configuration, although the plane that landed Tuesday was a...

Air India Starts Talks With Boeing, Airbus; Eyes A380-Sources September 21, 2007: 01:52 AM EST NEW DELHI -(Dow Jones)- State-owned Air India has begun talks with Boeing Co. (BA) and Airbus to buy new planes including the A380 superjumbo, people familiar with the development said Friday. In July, Air India said it plans to buy about 60 new passenger jetliners over the next few years and aims to start the selection and purchase process by mid- August. "The airline is in touch with both Boeing and Airbus on the types of aircraft available and what will be required in the...

DUBAI: Dubai-based Emirates Airlines plans to double its order of 55 Airbus A380 superjumbos when airport capacity in the emirate allows, president Tim Clark said yesterday. “I want double the number. We’ve got to move at the pace construction allows us to grow the business,� he said during the demonstration flight of the newly received Boeing 777 long-haul aircraft. “It’s flat out at the moment.� The Airbus aerospace arm of European Aeronautic Defence & Space Co said yesterday it hasn’t received any additional orders related to Emirates Airline’s intention – stated earlier in the day – to double its...

PARIS (AFP) - The billionaire Russian owner of Chelsea football club, Roman Abramovich, has ordered an Airbus A380, the world's biggest airliner, for use as his private jet, a report said Wednesday. French newspaper Le Figaro, which did not cite sources, said Abramovich was the mystery buyer behind an order for an A380 VIP, which was revealed by Airbus at the Paris Air Show in June this year. The doubledecker A380, which enters service later this year, is capable of carrying 840 passengers, measures 73 metres in length (239-feet) and towers over its biggest rival, the Boeing 747. Airbus...

BANGKOK, Thailand (AP) — An Airbus A380, the world's largest passenger jet, scraped the tip of a wing on a building at Bangkok's international airport Saturday as it was preparing for a demonstration flight, officials of the aircraft company and Thai Airways said. The plane, which had been taxiing with journalists and VIP guests on board, suffered minor damage, delaying its planned flight to the northern Thai city of Chiang Mai by just over three hours, they said. There were no injuries. After more than a one-year delay due to production problems, Airbus is scheduled to deliver its first A380,...

SINGAPORE Airlines is to install a PC running Red Hat Linux operating system in every seat on its newest A380 superjumbo. According to Network World, the system consists of a central Linux server that connects to a network of PCs installed under every seat on the aircraft.

LE BOURGET, France, June 19, 2007 (AFP) - Attention hip hop stars and billionaires: the world's biggest airliner, the 73-metre-long (239-feet) Airbus A380 superjumbo, has been ordered by a mysterious buyer for use as a private jet. The order sets new heights in the private plane sector, leaving the Learjet, which used to be the ultimate symbol of ostentatious air travel, in second class. The doubledecker A380, which enters service later this year, is capable of carrying 840 passengers, has 900 square metres (10,000 square feet) of cabin space and towers over its biggest rival, the Boeing 747. Airbus sales...

Emirates airline has unveiled a whopping 644-passenger seat plan for some of the 47 double-decker Airbus A380s it is set to receive from next year. The Dubai-based airline, which is the largest customer of the Airbus A380 superjumbo aircraft, is first in the industry to announce an aircraft configuration of over 550 seats. The 644-passenger carriers will have business and economy classes with no first class, while two other configurations will have 490 and 514 seats in three classes, according to Gulf News. The three separate seating designs will be tailor made to different routes, with the three-class planes...

THE term cattle class is about to take on a whole new meaning. The European aircraft maker Airbus has openly flagged the idea that one day up to 1000 passengers could be squeezed into its A380 super-jumbo. Before the double-decker aircraft's third visit to Sydney yesterday, the chief commercial officer of Airbus, John Leahy, spruiked the benefits of the A380 for budget airlines wanting to slash costs. "I do think low-cost carriers around the world will take a look at it," Mr Leahy said. In the 10 years since the idea of the giant jumbo was conceived, the aircraft appeared...

ROISSY, France -- How will airports accommodate the world's biggest passenger jet? At Paris' Charles de Gaulle airport, where the hulking Airbus A380 landed for the first time Friday, preparing for its arrival meant enlarging runways and bridges and building a new boarding lounge -- at a cost of $134 million. Airports in San Francisco, London, Sydney, Singapore and Frankfurt, Germany, are already prepared to receive the 555-seat plane, having also spent millions. Other hubs are following suit, Airbus officials say. The superjumbo, scheduled for delivery to airlines this year, has been plagued by scandals that have caused shares...

New French President, Nicolas Sarkozy, has raised the prospect of state aid for Airbus, but said he eventually plans to sell the government's stake. The French state owns 15% of Airbus' parent company EADS. President Sarkozy said that the government would do "its duty" as a shareholder if EADS decided to raise fresh capital. Yet he added that he aims "to put the state's stake on the market", once the company has recovered.

SINGAPORE: It was suggested that flying different type of aircraft was "as easy as changing cars". The revelation of the pay scales for Singapore Airlines’ pilots, said to be among the world’s highest, raised a few eyebrows. Such nuggets of information — offered by SIA management at a court hearing to settle a pay dispute between the airline and its pilots’ union — seem to have ruffled more than a few feathers among the pilots. Following the feedback it received after the court hearing, SIA thought it necessary to send a letter to all 1,800 of the company’s pilots...

The ongoing delays and rising costs of the Airbus A380 have sent profits at Franco-German parent firm EADS plunging again. EADS made a pre-tax profit of €89m (£60.5m) during the first three months of this year, down nearly 90% compared with the first quarter of 2006 when it recorded a profit of €790m. Although its other divisions performed solidly, Airbus posted a loss of €69m for the first quarter, against a profit of €684m last year. It has suffered major problems over the production of the world's largest passenger airline, which has been delayed by two years. ............... They repeated...

House Transportation Ranking Member John Mica (R-Fla.) last week renewed his attacks against the Airbus A380, claiming a new government report proves that the A380 will disrupt operations at U.S. airports -- an interpretation disputed by Airbus. Referring to results of a Government Accountability Office report, Mica asserts that "aviation safety and capacity may be adversely affected by this enormous plane, further taxing an already strained U.S. aviation system." A380 operations will cause "reduced throughput and capacity constraints" at airports, Mica said. The GAO study was requested by Mica. Last year, Mica launched similar criticism of the A380. He cited...

Airbus said Friday it has once again raised the break-even point for the troubled A380. In 2005, Airbus was saying that it would need to sell only 270 of the planes to break even. Last year, that jumped to 420 planes as a result of costly wiring problems that delayed delivery of the A380 by up to two years. Airbus Chief Executive Louis Gallois said Friday at the annual shareholder meeting of parent company European Aeronautic Defense and Space Co. that the break-even point for the A380 has been raised, but he did not disclose to new figure. "Clearly...

It was 1969 and the airplane designers having lunch in the conference room of Pan American World Airways were standing by the window overlooking New York's Park Avenue when Charles Lindbergh came over. The famous aviator was a consultant to the airline at the time and he had something to say about the 747 Joe Sutter and his team at Boeing were creating for Pan Am. " 'This is one of the great ones.' " Sutter recounted Lindbergh saying, "I mean the 747, this is an airplane that will go down in history." Thirty-eight years later, as hundreds of...

The latest jetliner to claim the title of world's biggest passenger aircraft completed its maiden voyage to America on Monday, flying on football field-length wings and a prayer that the U.S. airline industry will want to buy the double-decker jumbo jet. The four-engine Airbus A380 touched down at Kennedy International Airport at about 12:10 p.m., to the cheers of onlookers gathered to watch the arrival. As the plane taxied, a pilot waved an American flag. Minutes later, a separate A380 arrivied in Los Angeles, but was devoid of any passengers. The eight-hour flight to New York was a chance for...

Today marks the first time the Airbus A380 superjumbo jet will land at American airports. In fact, two of the jets will grace our runaways: one will be operated by Lufthansa pilots and crew, and will carry a load of passengers, complete with in-flight dining. From Frankfurt to New York JFK. The other will be operated by Qantas, and fly from Sydney to Los Angeles, but minus any passengers or flight attendants. If I were within driving distance of either airport, I would go take a look. For all its problems, this airplane is a magnificent achievement based on size...

LOS ANGELES — The world's largest passenger jet will make its West Coast debut at Los Angeles International Airport on Monday Officials expect tens of thousands of onlookers to line airport fences to see the Airbus A380, an eight-story-high behemoth with a double-decked cabin and a wingspan nearly the length of a football field. "We're planning for the largest turnout since the Concorde came in 1974," said Paul Haney, deputy executive director of airports and security for Los Angeles World Airports. Southern California is experiencing an uplift from the massive jet: More than 100 suppliers in the region contributed to...

Emirates President Tim Clark told ATWOnline last week in Berlin that the operating costs of its A380 fleet will be higher than originally planned. "There are still an extra six tons of weight we can't get out of the A380. That will cost us extra money in operation for the next 10 or 15 years," Clark said. Emirates' 45 A380s, which constitute a $15 billion investment, each should generate $200 million for the airline annually. The weight issues are compounded by the money EK is losing because of the program's delay. "We will get our first A380 in August 2008,...

Airbus says the potentially hazardous maximum energy rejected take-off demonstration for the A380 that it undertook last weekend was a “non-event”, with the aircraft and systems behaving exactly as predicted. “The test went exactly as planned,” says Airbus chief test pilot Jacques Rosay, who was at the controls of Rolls-Royce Trent 900-powered A380 MSN001 (F-WWOW) alongside vice-president Airbus flight test division Claude Lelaie for the trial at the Istres test airfield in southern France on 4 March (pictured below). In total, seven crew were on board the A380 including a flight engineer representing the European Aviation Safety Agency. To comply...

European aircraft manufacturer Airbus is describing the status of its A380 freighter aircraft as “interrupted”, but says the variant remains on offer. Its last remaining customer for the aircraft, US cargo operator UPS, earlier today announced its intention to cancel its order for 10 aircraft. It cited concerns about Airbus’s ability to adhere to its new delivery schedule for the aircraft – revised to start in 2012 – after learning the manufacturer is diverting employees from the A380 freighter programme to work on the passenger version of the aircraft. The manufacturer had earlier said the rescheduling of UPS deliveries opened...

United Parcel Service Inc. said Friday it will cancel an order for 10 Airbus A380 freighter aircraft because it is "no longer confident" that the plane-maker can deliver the planes on schedule. UPS is the last remaining customer for the freighter version of Airbus's A380 plane. FedEx Corp. and International Lease Finance Corp., a unit of American International Group Inc., canceled their orders last year amid repeated delays to the superjumbo's construction schedule. Airbus said Thursday it had frozen work on the A380 freighter program and will use the spare capacity for delayed passenger versions of the plane. Michael Hauger,...

Financially troubled European airplane manufacturer Airbus has stopped work on the freight version of its new A380 superjumbo so it can focus more on the troubled passenger version of the aircraft, a spokesman for its parent company said Thursday. "The work on the freight version of the A380 has just been temporarily cut off ... so that all capacities can be directed at the A380 passenger version," said Michael Hauger, spokesman for the European Aeronautic Defence & Space Co., in a telephone call from Munich. Last week, United Parcel Service Inc. (UPS) postponed taking delivery on the A380 freight version....

LONDON -- Boeing Co. said Wednesday that it is in talks with 15 companies in Europe, Asia and the Middle East about potential sales of its new, longer 747 jumbo jet. ....SNIP...Boeing has received 78 orders for the 747-8, including 24 passenger versions. ..SNIP...Analysts believe that after concentrating massive resources on the A380, Airbus has been outmaneuvered by the 787, which delivers better fuel economy than older four-engine Airbus jets in the same size category.

NEW YORK (Reuters) - United Parcel Service Inc. (NYSE:UPS - news), the last remaining customer for the Airbus A380 superjumbo freighter, said on Friday it reached an agreement for Airbus to push back delivery dates of the planes and left open its option to cancel the order outright. ADVERTISEMENT UPS, the world's largest package delivery company, has been rethinking its order for 10 A380 freighters since October, when Airbus announced a third delay on the giant plane due to wiring problems, putting it two years behind schedule. UPS's planes were originally scheduled for delivery between 2009 and 2012. The company...

Airbus is planning to undertake the potentially destructive maximum-energy rejected take-off (RTO) test on one of its A380 test aircraft in the coming weeks at the Istres flight-test centre in southern France. The manufacturer says that Rolls-Royce Trent 900-powered A380-800 MSN001 (F-WWOW) will be used for the test, which is planned for “early March”. However the exact date will be decided at very short notice “as the test requires very calm weather conditions”, adds Airbus. The maximum-energy RTO test has been scheduled for the end of the test campaign in case there is any damage is suffered, as has occurred...

Los Angeles airport officials said Wednesday that Airbus officials reneged on a promise to bring the new A380 jetliner to Los Angeles International Airport on its first U.S. test flight after the airport spent $9 million to accommodate the huge jet. Los Angeles World Airports officials claim that Airbus executives told them early last year that it would bring the A380 to LAX on its maiden U.S. flight if the airport expedited construction of a $9-million gate to accommodate the jet for an August 2006 flight, the Los Angeles Times reports. That was delayed after the jet experienced a...

SPOONS and socks may not be the first objects that spring to mind when gazing at the world's largest airliner, but deep inside an Airbus factory, technicians kill time by stuffing them down the toilet. Flushing away strange objects is among the unglamorous tasks carried out on a giant three-storey rig designed to test the vacuum-toilet system on an A380 superjumbo. While the plane's electrical wiring problems occupy the attention of would-be buyers and the world's media, plumbers are perfecting the A380's 1,000 metres of waste and water pipes. Airlines know from experience that many passengers are careless about what...

MIDDLETOWN -- Wrapped in yellow Kevlar and trimmed in lime green, the jet engine flourishes its array of titanium fan blades like the petals of a flower. The engine is a Pratt & Whitney GP7200. It hangs from a monorail inside Pratt's jet engine test center in Middletown, swaying gently. The serenity of the scene belies the engine's awesome purpose - propelling the world's largest passenger airplane, the Airbus A380, across the vast spaces between Singapore and London, Los Angeles and Sydney, and other distant cities of the world. The engine on display will be shipped from Middletown, where...

Airbus on Friday toned down expectations of an immediate solution to the technical glitches which delayed its A380 superjumbo project, saying wiring problems had been solved for the first aircraft only. A German news report last week said that Airbus had solved the wiring installation problems, which delayed A380 deliveries by an average two years and drove the planemaker into the red. Aviation watchers and some investors cheered the report, saying it closed the worst chapter in Airbus's 30 year history. Gerhard Puttfarcken, head of Airbus's German operations, said Airbus had passed a key milestone in completing wiring for the...

Unfortunately for Airbus, the US denizens of the darker Francophobic corners of the web are going to be in near-ecstasy over this one... The first media flight of the A380, due to take place from Toulouse early next month, has had to be rescheduled. The reason: the French civil service is going on strike. Could just as easily happen to Boeing of course (OK, maybe not.)

PARIS - The two-year delay to the Airbus A380 is proving costlier than expected, parent company EADS said Wednesday in a profit warning that sent shares lower as the aircraft maker confirmed it had lost its five-year lead in orders to Boeing. Airbus won orders for 824 airliners last year, the company said -- well short of both Boeing's 1,050 tally and its own industry record of 1,111 in 2005 -- but delivered 434 planes to its U.S.-based rival's 398. Despite the production crisis blighting the double-decker A380, 2006 was ''the best year ever in terms of deliveries and the...

Airbus solves A380 wiring glitch Singapore Airlines has agreed to buy 19 A380s Airbus has fixed electrical problems related to its A380 superjumbo, which have led to major delivery delays for the planemaker. The group said the news meant it had "passed a major milestone" for the plane's production. Deliveries to Singapore Airlines, its launch customer, were now on track to arrive in October, it said. Problems with the A380 have left Airbus two years behind with deliveries, hitting shares at parent company EADS. "We have finished the electrical installation," said Airbus spokesman Tore Prang. "We have handed the aircraft...

We knew it was the worst year in Airbus' history—and now it looks as if it might have been even worse than we thought. On Jan. 17, Airbus acknowledged it would post an operating loss for 2006, with fallout from production woes on the A380 megajet slashing billions from the bottom line, even as the planemaker reaped a record $33.6 billion in revenues. In a profit warning, Airbus' parent company, European Aeronautics Defence & Space, said it would take charges for penalty payments to A380 customers, and for asset writedowns connected to the project. Costs from a restructuring program spurred...

Emirates is preparing to thrash out a deal with Airbus to compensate it for the financial impact of the A380 delay, and expects that the size of the payment is likely to require the European airframer to take a "massive write-off". When the Dubai carrier signed its original A380 deal at the 2000 Farnborough air show, the aircraft were scheduled to start joining its fleet by April 2006, says the airline's president Tim Clark. However, the series of production delays pushed the delivery back initially to October 2007, and now to August 2008, with Emirates planning to introduce the type...

Climate change and aviation The Commission adopted yesterday a very important decision: to include the aviation sector in the European Emissions Trading system. This means that the EU will continue to lead on climate change issues – while at the same time acting in a multi-lateral context like the ICAO. I am sure that this will not only boost the credibility of our policy on climate change, but will also help European airlines to develop a competitive advantage through investing in modern technology/methods like with the example of the new Boeing 787 Dreamliner, which will use 20 percent less fuel...

SINGAPORE : Singapore Airlines (SIA) is buying nine more A380s from Airbus, bringing it to a total of 19 confirmed orders for the superjumbo with options for six more. The move comes despite Airbus pushing back the delivery date by two years. Announcing the deal on Wednesday, SIA also revealed that it had reached a settlement with Airbus over the A380 delay. Amid the year-end festivities, Airbus has much to celebrate. SIA has signed a deal for nine A380 superjumbos, with options for six more - confirming an order announced in July. Airbus says this is an affirmation of the...

Airbus is waiting to hear whether United Parcel Service (UPS) wants to continue with its order for 10 A380 Freighters before deciding whether to pursue early development of the all-cargo variant. The express package carrier is now the sole remaining A380F customer, following International Lease Finance's (ILFC) decision to switch its five orders to the passenger variant under a renegotiated deal that has seen all its A380 deliveries pushed back to 2013 and beyond. Airbus says that, under the revised A380 production plan, certification of the A380F is scheduled for the fourth quarter of 2009, in line with UPS's original...