Eight A380 airframes have now been assembled at Toulouse, according to program evp Charles Champion. The first four flight-test aircraft and the fatigue- and static- test airframes are physically complete. At St Nazaire, assembly work has started on the first major component of the 21st aircraft (the center wing box) and metal was cut in April on the first A380F.
With 154 orders and commitments already booked — and with customers such as Singapore Airlines indicating that they plan to exercise all their options within four years of service entry — the A380 is well on the way to breaking even, says Champion. The breakeven point is being re-evaluated in the light of cost overruns, delays and the slumping dollar, but is not expected to be more than 300 aircraft. There are no delivery slots available until 2010, and very few in that year, although some aircraft are available from lessors.
One major forthcoming test is emergency evacuation, to be conducted this summer in the Hamburg paint hangar. Airbus is recruiting 1,100 volunteers — ‘passengers’, reserves and safety crews — for the test, which will involve 853 passengers: 538 on the main deck and 315 on the top deck. This will simulate a short-haul, high-density layout with no galleys and no reserve cabin crews to assist the evacuation: there will be 18 flight attendants and two flight crew. The test is conducted in the dark, using exits on only one side of the aircraft. Forty per cent of the passengers must be female, 35% over 50, and 15% must be female and over 50. The test can be run twice in five days, and the objective is to get everyone out within 90 seconds.
Airbus is now giving more hints about the next A380 variant, the extended-range A380-800R. The A380F freighter is following about two years behind the basic aircraft: major assembly will start in the third quarter of next year, the first of two development aircraft is due to fly in mid-2007, and certification is set for April 2008. New A380 versions will follow every two to three years, says Champion.
Improvements for the freighter — including more advanced materials to increase payload and a higher gross weight – will form the basis of the A380-800R extended-range version, to appear in 2010-2011. This in turn could pave the way for the A380-900 stretched version by 2014. — Bill Sweetman
