Building A Giant: The Story Of The Airbus A380
Summary
TLDR空中客车A380是一款真正的工程奇迹,旨在满足高容量长途旅行的需求。自1970年空客成立以来,A380的发展经历了多次设计考量和技术挑战,最终成为航空史上的重要里程碑。然而,由于运营挑战和市场变化,A380并未达到预期的成功,尤其是在疫情加速了其退役进程后。尽管如此,A380在工程和设计上的成就仍然值得称赞,它的故事激发了对未来航空发展的思考。
Takeaways
- 🛫 A380是真正的工程奇迹,代表了高空客量长途旅行的可能性。
- 🚀 A380的开发源于对高空大容量旅行的期望,但并未完全达到预期。
- 🌍 A380的故事始于1970年空中客车公司的成立,旨在与美国大公司竞争。
- 🔄 A380的设计考虑了多种方案,最终选择了双层大容量飞机。
- 📈 在90年代初,空中客车对高容量飞机的前景充满信心,这基于对枢纽运营模式增长的预期。
- 🛬 A380最初设想包括客运和货运版本,但由于技术和市场原因,货运版本未能实现。
- 🏭 A380的生产涉及全球1500家公司,分布在30个国家,体现了欧洲合作精神。
- 📉 A380项目于2019年宣布结束,生产将持续至2021年最后一架飞机交付完毕。
- 📊 A380的订单总数为251架,但空中客车承认无法收回其250亿欧元(约合297亿美元)的开发成本。
- 📉 A380的受欢迎程度下降,原因包括点对点运营模式的流行和双发飞机性能的提升。
- 🏆 阿联酋航空是A380的最大客户,通过其枢纽模式成功运营了A380。
Q & A
A380的设计初衷是什么?
-A380的设计初衷是为了满足高容量长途旅行的需求。
A380的发展过程中遇到了哪些挑战?
-A380的发展过程中遇到了操作挑战、相对快速的衰退以及与预期不符的市场接受度。
空中客车公司是如何成立的?
-空中客车公司是由几家欧洲制造商联合起来对抗包括波音在内的大型美国公司而成立的。
A380的设计理念是如何形成的?
-A380的设计理念是在1990年范堡罗航展上提出的,空中客车考虑了几种设计,并最终选择了高容量双层飞机的概念。
A380的货运版本为什么没有被开发?
-A380的货运版本没有被开发主要有两个原因:首先是乘客版本的开发延迟导致货运版本被降低优先级,其次是双层货仓的装载存在技术问题。
A380的组装涉及哪些国家?
-A380的组装涉及30个国家的1500家公司,包括法国、德国、西班牙和英国等。
A380项目结束的原因是什么?
-A380项目结束的原因是市场需求的变化,特别是点对点运营模式的流行以及燃油效率更高的双发飞机的崛起。
哪些航空公司订购了最多的A380飞机?
-阿联酋航空订购了最多的A380飞机,共有123架。
A380的运营成本如何影响其市场地位?
-A380的运营成本较高,随着燃油价格的上涨和对效率及排放减少的关注增加,燃油效率更高的双发飞机逐渐取代了四发的A380。
A380的二手市场情况如何?
-A380的二手市场非常有限,目前对这种大型飞机的需求很小。
A380的未来前景如何?
-A380的未来前景不明朗,许多航空公司已经加速了其退役计划,而且二手市场的需求也很有限。
哪些因素导致了A380的提前退役?
-新冠疫情导致的航空业放缓加速了A380的提前退役,同时点对点运营模式的流行和双发飞机性能的提升也是重要因素。
Outlines
🛫 A380的起源与设计理念
A380是航空工程的杰作,其开发初衷是为了满足高容量长途旅行的需求。尽管运营存在挑战,且市场衰退速度超出预期,但A380无疑是航空史上的重要里程碑。A380的故事始于1970年空中客车公司的成立,该公司由几家欧洲制造商联合起来对抗美国大公司,如波音。空中客车的首架飞机A300旨在与波音707竞争,但公司一直有更大的野心,即在大型宽体机和窄体机领域挑战竞争对手。1986年,空中客车推出了A330/A340项目,并在1990年的范堡罗航展上宣布计划打造比波音747更大的飞机。空中客车考虑了几种设计,最终选择了高容量双层飞机。早期90年代,空中客车对高容量飞机的前景充满信心,这基于对枢纽运营模式增长的预期,这种模式将多个地点的乘客聚集在一起,在关键航线上填满飞机,同时也有助于缓解机场的拥堵问题。与此同时,波音则推出了容量较小的777飞机,该飞机针对点对点运营。尽管波音曾考虑过推出更大的747,但由于紧急出口和疏散要求,未能实现。
📉 A380项目的结局与市场反应
A380项目的结束在2019年被宣布,最后一架飞机的生产在2021年完成。尽管总共有251架飞机被订购,这并不算失败,但空中客车承认无法收回其投资,因为开发成本高达250亿欧元,是最初估计的两倍多。订单主要来自阿联酋航空、新加坡航空、英国航空、汉莎航空、阿提哈德航空、卡塔尔航空、法国航空、大韩航空、亚洲航空、泰国航空、马来西亚航空、中国南方航空和全日空。然而,A380在市场受欢迎程度的下降是由于多种原因,包括点对点运营模式比预期的枢纽模式更受欢迎。只有阿联酋航空真正使其枢纽模式运作良好,尽管在容量受限的机场运作良好,但在小型机场由于其尺寸和翼展限制了使用。此外,油价和燃油价格自其开发以来上涨,双发飞机的性能和容量也显著提高。政府、航空公司和乘客现在更关注运营效率和减排。阿联酋航空由于其大型机队而从运营优势和成本节约中受益,但随着转向更多样化和更节能的机队,这种情况将会改变。
🚀 A380的未来前景与可能的应用
尽管A380是一款伟大的飞机和工程成就的里程碑,但市场趋势对其不利,导致许多情况下比预期更早地停飞。A380的货运版本失败凸显了其在货运市场的挑战。虽然在疫情期间,客运飞机被用于货运,但这不太可能成为飞机的长期用途。将A380用作政府或VIP的私人飞机的尝试尚未成功,目前也没有新的客户或交易在即。随着价格的下降,二手市场可能会变得更有吸引力。到2021年初,二手A380的价格已下跌50%,是所有飞机类型中跌幅最大的。但目前,我们可能会看到更多退役飞机被送往飞机坟场。
Mindmap
Keywords
💡A380
💡工程奇迹
💡长途旅行
💡运营挑战
💡点对点运营
💡市场变化
💡燃油效率
💡航空公司
💡枢纽机场
💡退役
💡二手市场
Highlights
A380是真正的工程奇迹。
A380的开发是出于对高容量长途旅行可能性的考虑。
A380的运营挑战和相对快速的衰退,并没有像预期那样为Airbus或航空公司带来好处。
A380的故事可以追溯到1970年Airbus成立之时。
Airbus的初衷是与大型美国公司(包括波音)竞争。
A380在1990年的范堡罗航展上宣布,旨在挑战波音747。
A380最初设想包括客运和货运两个版本。
A380的货运版本收到了订单,但因为开发延迟和技术问题而未能实现。
A380的最终组装在图卢兹的Airbus工厂进行,但部件来自全球。
A380项目于2019年宣布结束,生产将持续到2021年。
A380总共获得了251架飞机的订单,但Airbus承认无法收回其投资。
A380的受欢迎程度下降,原因在于点对点运营模式比预期的枢纽模式更受欢迎。
阿联酋航空是A380的突出用户,成功地在其枢纽模式中使用了这种飞机。
新加坡航空是第一个在2017年退役A380飞机的航空公司。
由于疫情影响,多家航空公司加快了A380的退役步伐。
A380在二手市场上的需求非常有限。
到2021年初,二手A380的价格下降了50%。
A380是一个伟大的飞机和一个工程成就的里程碑,但市场已经转向,使得它的服务生涯比预期更早结束。
Transcripts
Whether you love it or hate it, the A380 is a true engineering feat.
Its development was motivated by the possibilities of high capacity long-haul travel,
but it has not worked out as well as hoped for Airbus – or airlines. Despite its operating
challenges and relatively quick decline, carrying so many passengers long-haul is undoubtedly one
of the most significant aviation milestones. But… How and why did this superjumbo come to be?
But before we start, if you haven’t already, make sure to Subscribe to
Long Haul for the latest videos. And don’t forget to click that notification bell, too.
The story of the A380 dates back almost to Airbus’s founding in 1970.
The company was formed by several European manufacturers coming together to compete
against the larger US companies (including, but not only, Boeing).
Airbus’ first aircraft, the A300, was designed to compete with the Boeing 707,
but the company always had the ambition to go further and challenge their competitors
in both larger widebodies and narrowbodies. It launched the dual A330/A340 program in 1986
and announced plans to go bigger and take on the 747 at the Farnborough Air Show in 1990.
Airbus considered several designs and finally selected a high-capacity two-deck
aircraft. Boeing had also looked at this concept for the 747 but failed
to make it work given emergency exit and evacuation requirements.
In the early 90s, Airbus had confidence in the possibilities for higher-capacity aircraft.
This was based on an expectation of growth in hub-based operating models,
bringing passengers together from several locations to fill aircraft on key routes.
It would also help with growing congestion at airports, maximizing the use of valuable slots.
Meanwhile, Boeing was moving forward with the lower capacity 777, an aircraft that
would target point-to-point operations. It did look twice at launching a larger 747.
This would have stretched the upper deck and introduced upgrades from the 777.
Other manufacturers also looked at larger aircraft at the time,
but nothing else developed beyond a concept. McDonnell Douglas launched a two-deck proposal,
the MD-12, in 1992. And Lockheed Martin released plans for a 900 capacity two-deck Large Subsonic
Transport aircraft in 1996. Despite interest from airlines, there were no orders for either.
The A380 was originally conceived with both a passenger and a freighter version in mind. An
even larger passenger version was also proposed, with a stretched fuselage but the same wing design
(it would offer an additional capacity of around 100) but there was limited interest and no orders.
The A380 freighter version, however, did receive 27 orders from Emirates, FedEx, UPS, and ILFC
(International Lease Finance Corporation). It was never developed, however, for two main reasons...
Firstly there were delays in the development of the passenger version,
and the freighter was deprioritized.
Secondly, there were technical problems with freight loading of the two decks,
with the aircraft having more volume than it could support the weight of.
This was quite a setback for Airbus, and it still struggles in the freighter market against
the Boeing 747 and 777. If they’d figured it out, use for freight could have provided
a potential alternative for aircraft now coming out of passenger service.
From its inception, Airbus was conceived out of European collaboration.
Even its first A300 project saw development and construction spread across Europe.
This remained the same with the A380, but it took on new challenges with the increased size.
The final assembly of all aircraft takes place at Airbus’ factory in Toulouse.
But parts and components are brought together from
all over Europe and globally – involving 1,500 companies in 30 countries in total.
Most significantly, large wing and fuselage sections were built in other locations in France,
Germany, Spain, and the UK: The nose and center sections of the
fuselage were built in Saint-Nazaire in France in Northwestern France.
The rear fuselage section and tail fin were made in Hamburg.
Horizontal tail fins were made in Cadiz, Spain. And the wings were built in Broughton, Wales.
To move these components around, Airbus developed an extensive transportation network.
This involved three specifically designed ‘ro-ro’ (roll-on-roll-off) boats, canal transportation,
and road convoys in France with specially modified village roads. Airbus’ Beluga
aircraft fleet also transported some parts – but these are used much more for other aircraft.
The end of the A380 program was announced in 2019, with the production of Emirates’
last aircraft to finish in 2021. But... With a total of 251 aircraft ordered,
it has been far from a failure. However, Airbus has admitted it will not recover its investment,
with development costs of €25 billion ($29.7 billion) – more than twice the original estimate.
The total orders have been as follows: In the lead, by far,
with 123 aircraft is Emirates... Singapore Airlines has a fleet of 19...
12 serve British Airways... 14 with Lufthansa...
10 with each of the following: Etihad…
Qatar Airways… Air France, and…
Korean Air And six with...
Asiana Airlines... Thai Airways...
Malaysian Airlines... China Southern has a fleet of five aircraft...
And ANA has three. Notably, ANA was the last airline to start flying the A380 in March 2019.
While the A380 had already started to fall out of favor before the pandemic, the aviation slowdown
of 2020 and into 2021 has expedited this. There were several order cancelations before
delivery even began. These included... Virgin Atlantic,
Kingfisher, and Hong Kong Airlines. Qantas and Emirates also both reduced their orders.
The decline in popularity is due to a number of reasons. Crucially, point-to-point operating
models have become more desirable over the anticipated – and planned for – hub-based model.
Only Emirates has really made the aircraft work for its hub model,
and while it has worked well at capacity-constrained airports,
it has been too limited in use at smaller airports due to its size and wingspan.
But other events have also worked against it: Oil and fuel prices rose since its development. The
ability (and capacity) of twin-engine aircraft has also improved significantly. And alongside this,
governments, airlines, and passengers are today much more interested in efficient operation
as well as emissions reduction. Efficient twins have taken over from quadjets in a way
few people (and certainly not Airbus) would have predicted in the 1980s and 1990s.
Emirates, of course, stands out as an exception to this A380 decline. It has made the aircraft work
where other airlines have failed. Most simply, this comes down to its true hub-based operations.
But some advantages come from its large fleet. By making such a huge commitment to the type,
it benefits from operational advantages and cost savings.
This will change going forward as it moves to a more diverse and more fuel-efficient fleet.
But with such a large fleet, and new deliveries just arriving, it will remain an operator for
many years. CEO Sir Tim Clark discussed this in an interview with Simple Flying, explaining
how he remains keen on the A380, and how it will remain in the fleet well into the 2030s.
Singapore Airlines was the first to retire A380 aircraft in 2017 – it was
in service for less than 10 years. Emirates retired its first aircraft in October 2020
(which had been planned before the 2020 slowdown).
Several airlines have sped up retirements due to the pandemic. Air France announced early in the
crisis that it would retire its A380 fleet. Etihad’s CEO has expressed the opinion that
they are commercially unviable going forward, and they are unlikely to return to the fleet.
Lufthansa certainly won’t return them to service any time soon – if ever.
And Qatar Airways’ CEO called the A380 “the airline’s biggest mistake,”
and has already confirmed the impairment of five of its 10 aircraft. Coming out of
the pandemic the global A380 fleet will look a lot different… and a lot smaller.
These retirements are especially unfortunate given the very limited second-hand market for the type.
There is little demand for such large aircraft now that airlines don’t want them in the fleet.
We’ve spoken before about Hi Fly, which took on a single secondhand A380
(from Singapore Airlines) for charter services. At one point, it was interested
in a second aircraft but has now dropped these plans and retired its first aircraft.
Conversion for freight use is another possibility. But the A380 is not ideal for this, as the failure
of the freighter version highlighted. We have seen passenger aircraft being used
for freight during the pandemic, but this is unlikely to be a long-term use for aircraft.
Use as private aircraft for governments or VIPs has also been attempted,
but with no success as yet and no new clients or deals on the horizon.
As its price declines, perhaps second-hand use may become more attractive.
In early 2021, the price of a secondhand A380 had fallen 50% – the most of any
aircraft type. But for now, we are likely to see more retired aircraft heading to the graveyard.
The A380 is a great aircraft and a landmark in engineering achievements. But… the market has
moved against it, taking it out of service earlier than anticipated in many cases.
Do you think it will find another use, or are the superjumbo’s days numbered?
Feel free to discuss this and other A380 experiences in the comments.
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