Airbus head Noel Forgeard.
Posted on 03/31/2006 11:18:42 AM PST by SW6906
AIRBUS was delighted with the results of an evacuation test for its double-deck A380 on March 26th. Although one person broke a leg and others suffered minor injuries, 853 passengers were evacuated in the dark with half the doors blocked in 90 seconds--fast enough to satisfy safety regulators. Otherwise the aircraft would have faced further delays to its entry into service, already pushed back six months to the end of this year, because of problems wiring the in-flight entertainment system.
The real test looming, however, will come from the market. Orders for the giant A380 have slowed to a trickle. Total orders of 159 are 100 short of the number at which the company breaks even. Airbus is sticking to its development figure of $11.7 billion, but there are rumours of over-runs.
...
Boeing reckons, however, that the big growth will come from smaller planes, carrying 250-400 passengers. These will enable people to travel direct rather than changing at hubs. Airbus sees the value of this too, but it has been so busy designing the A380 that its smaller models have been neglected. ... Although Airbus sold more planes in total than its rival last year, Boeing enjoyed a 70% share of a booming market in widebody, long-haul aircraft (where margins are better).
... Meanwhile the European firm is losing out in the next size up, where Boeing sold 155 of its 777 long-haul planes last year, compared with only 15 Airbus A340s, which suffers from having four engines in a time of high oil prices.
The good news for travellers and airlines alike is that the two producers that bestride the market for big jets are now competing on more than price. They are also slogging it out on quality and product innovation, bombarding each other with new designs.
(Excerpt) Read more at economist.com ...
More schadenfreude!!!!!
ping!
I highly recommend "Adak," by CAPT Andrew Jampoler.
The A380's long-term future is in cargo and intra-Asian high-density passenger service. It will be a minor success, but Airbus was foolish to bet the company on it.
My real concern for Boeing is the establishment of common processes and tools which streamline the design process. They currently have decided to use the Dassault Systemes (coincidentally a French company)CATIA/ENOVIA/DELMIA products for design engineering and manufacturing but the promised functionality for this from DS is slow and could jeopardize progress thus impacting production. Stay tuned!
Bets like that are easier to justify when you're playing with someone else's money.
Not necessarily. Remember the Toronto crash last summer when everyone escaped safely? According to this story, four of the eight doors on the Airbus 340 failed, yet everyone got out. It's not common, but it can happen.
The problem?.... multi million dollar changes to the airport they land at(AirBus) already expensive to maintain(the airports)... DuuuH..
(Righteousness is our cause and justice will prevail!)
Hey! Hardly anybody preaches righteousness, holiness or hell fire any more. Good for you! Because all three are true, whether anybody believes it or not, everybody will be forced to deal with these three.
Airbus head Noel Forgeard.
Looks like Noel Forehead to me....
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