Posted on 04/06/2007 7:13:26 PM PDT by Paleo Conservative
Airlines are considering suing Airbus after the aircraft manufacturer warned them that the front-end of the A340-600 was dangerously overweight, The Times has learnt.The problem is caused by heavier than expected first and business-class areas and airlines have been told to reduce the amount of cargo they carry to rebalance the aircraft.
The first and business class sections on some A340600s are so heavy that they are pushing the jet’s nose down during flight, which can play havoc with the aerodynamics and potentially endanger passengers and crew. Flying nose down also increases drag off the wings and forces the aircraft to burn more fuel.
Airbus has recommended that airlines carry about five tonnes less cargo in the front of the plane to compensate, a reduction of nearly 10 per cent in its total cargo capacity.
Airbus says that the airlines are to blame for fitting premium cabins with full-sized beds, heavy furniture and weighty entertainment systems.
However, aviation sources have told The Times that a number of airlines are insisting that it is Airbus’s error. The airlines believe Airbus has incorrectly stated the maximum weight for front-end cabins and they are considering suing for lost cargo income.
Recent estimates show that a commercial airliner flying one tonne overweight costs the equivalent of 12 passengers everyday. Assuming that the A340600s are flying five tonnes overweight, each jet is losing income equivalent to 21,900 passengers a year.
If the airlines can prove their case, they could claim hundreds of millions of dollars in compensation from Airbus.
The A340-600 is flown by numerous airlines with Virgin Atlantic, Lufthansa and Iberia operating the largest fleets. These airlines were unavailable for comment yesterday.
An Airbus spokesman said: “As premium cabin interiors become more customised, the added weight of customisation must also be taken into account as a factor in the overall loading of the aircraft. A heavier cabin in the front section where premium cabin products are normally placed therefore could reduce the cargo loading capacity in that section.”
The A340-600, at 75 metres, is longer even than the A380, and typically seats 380. Doug McVitie, the director of Arran Aerospace, said: “The A340-600 is a piece of spaghetti with wings. Anything heavy at the front will therefore throw off the centre of gravity and that causes all sorts of problems.”
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I'm sure Airbus will offer some free A330's as compensation.
that thing is more nose heavy than he is... 
Gee, that’s too bad! Heh, heh.
Is this what happens when you design an airplane by committee?
The worst kept secret in the industry is that the A380 has come in several tons overweight than Airbust contractional promised the buyers. Airbust is currently taking it up the a$$ on the existing order customers demanding financial compensation or Airbust springing for carbon fiber materials to lighten the interior such as the frames for all the seats which will mean the planes are sold at even a greater loss.
All this financial compensation means the amount of A380’s that are needed to be ordered for the project to even break even is now anywhere from 600 to 700 planes, double what was originally spec’d. The number is realistically even higher after all the money they invested in the freighter version which currently has 0 orders.
Then again, Airbust doesn’t really need to worry about such things because its run as a socialist job creation program for Europe, rather than a business that depends on profits to keep it alive. The euro taxpayers will be responsible for funding all these problems with with A340, A380, and the billions in subsidies the Airbust A350 project will demand.
Stick some canards on the nose.
Nah the EU in response to protecting Airbus will go after Boeing with frivolous charges and make them share technology with AIrbus, kind of like what they are doing to Microsoft now.
Yahh, that will be a cheap redesign........
Exactly.
How soon till the EU tries to slap Boeing with billions in fines claiming monopolistic practices because the 787 continues to sell so well.
that's not funny... you leave my butt out of this!!! 
Boeing... the Rearden Metal of the airline industry.
Wow, who didn’t see this coming.
! ! !
Lest we forget.
Isn’t this the longest airline in operation as of now??
I can solve the problem for them instantly. Just add a couple of tons to the tail of the plane, and the balance problem will be solved, and you can load cargo in to the front of the plane.
Seriously, they could leave first class in the front, move business class to the rear, and probably at least partially solve the problem. Or split first class between front and rear. They just aren't thinking outside the box.
But being near the front means you're the first off the plane. That can be very important if you need to catch a connecting flight. Why not just take a few frames off the front and put it back on the rear of the plane. That'll fix the CG problem.
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