As the wraps came off the Airbus A380 in a lavish ceremony at Toulouse in mid-January, chief executives from the aircraft's launch customers went further than ever before in revealing details of interior configurations and destination plans.
Seat numbers vary from the "slightly under 480" in three classes envisaged by first operator Singapore Airlines (SIA) through to plans from Emirates for 644 in a two-class layout on routes such as those to Thailand and India. Emirates president Tim Clark says its A380s, which will enter service from October 2006, will have 517 seats in three classes to medium-range destinations and 489 in three classes on long-haul routes.
Air France, the first European A380 operator, will begin services in April 2007 and, according to chief executive Jean-Cyril Spinetta, will carry 538 passengers; nine in first class, 80 in business class and 449 in economy. First routes will be between Paris, New York and Montreal, followed in 2008 by Beijing and Tokyo. Lufthansa will have one of the highest-density configurations revealed so far, planning 550 seats in a three-class layout on North Atlantic and Asian routes. Qantas chief Geoff Dixon says it will configure the A380 with 501 passengers in three classes.
SIA will take delivery of its first four aircraft during the second quarter of 2006. The delivery date has slipped by "a few weeks", says chief executive Chew Choon Seng, who adds that he does "not anticipate any further slippage". SIA will fly the aircraft first on the popular kangaroo route between London, Singapore and Sydney.
All the carriers are promising exciting developments in cabin interiors for their aircraft, but none are so far promising more than Virgin Atlantic, with chairman Richard Branson outlining plans to carry just over 500 passengers in three classes and provide a gym for all passengers and gaming rooms, bars and beauty parlours in Upper Class. There are now 149 A380 orders and commitments.
* In our A380 feature Great Expectations in the January issue, it was stated that a key maturity target for the aircraft was a 24% reduction compared with the Boeing 747-400. This should have related to maintenance rather than overall direct operating costs.
JACKIE THOMPSON TOULOUSE
Source: Airline Business
