The Airbus A380 designation was a break from previous Airbus families, which had progressed sequentially: A300, A310, A320, A330 and A340. The A350 XWB that will be the newest Airbus jetliner continues the sequential number.
Airbus Families
The number ‘8’ on Airbus A380 represents the twin deck cross section. Differ with its rival Boeing 747, the Airbus A380 is a full-length double-decker airliner. In the beginning of development phase, the Boeing 747 was also full-length double-decker concept. Boeing scrapped this concept due to concern over evacuation routes and limited cargo-carrying capability.
Twin Deck and '8' Number
The number ‘8’ on Airbus A380 represents a lucky number in some Asian countries where the aircraft was being marketed.
Boeing did not use number ‘8’ on their Jumbojet 747 to resemble the double-deck cross section. Boeing uses number ‘8’ on
Boeing 787 Dreamliner which is single deck aircraft to replace 7E7 designation.
Airbus A380 was known as the A3XX during its development phase. The Airbus A3XX project was officially launched and renamed A380 on the December 19, 2000.
The nickname of A380 is Super Jumbo. Jumbo Jet already used by Boeing 747, the widebody commercial airliner.
Some other unofficial nicknames of Airbus A380 are Flying Palace, Flying Forehead, Mammoth Jet, and Whale Jet Flying due to its giant size and luxurious cabin.
Low fuel consumption of the engines and pollutant levels far below the levels required by the strictest of standards help justifying A380 to get the unofficial nickname Green Giant.
Airbus also termed Megaliner for the A380 in the early development stages.
Currently the A380 is the largest passenger airliner in the world, topping the Boeing 747, which was the largest for 37 years (1970-2007).
The Airbus A380 come out to complete its own range of products and to break the dominance that Boeing had enjoyed in this market segment since the early 1970s with its Boeing 747.
Although the Airbus A380 currently is the biggest passenger aircraft but it has a shorter fuselage than the Airbus A340-600. The Airbus A340-600 is still the longest jetliner in the world.
Airbus A380 vs A340-600
When began developing A380 (on development phase the designation was A3XX), Airbus considered several an odd side-by-side combination of two fuselages from the Airbus A340. The A340 was the Airbus’s largest airliner at that time.
Airbus also offer the freighter model the A380-800F which is also one of the largest freighter with a listed payload capacity exceeded only by the Antonov An-225.
Airbus engineers began secret project on the development of ultra-high-capacity airliner (UHCA) in 1988.
Airbus started the development of a very large airliner on early 1990s (at that time A380 designation was not defined yet).
In October 1991 McDonnell Douglas offer MD-12X design to airlines. MD-12X is full double-decker wide body aircraft concept similar to Airbus A3XX concept.
In November 1991 McDonnell Douglas and Taiwan Aerospace Corporation sign MoU to produce the new design. The plan for first flight was in late 1995 with delivery in 1997. No order were placed for the aircraft and Taiwan Aerospace left the project. McDonnell Douglas decide to end the program.
Boeing and several companies in the Airbus consortium started a joint feasibility study of an aircraft known as the Very Large Commercial Transport (VLCT) in January 1993.
Airbus began developing its own very large airliner, designated the A3XX in June 1994. The A3XX was pitted against the VLCT study and Boeing’s own new large aircraft successor to the Boeing 747, which evolved into the 747X, a stretched version of the B747 with the fore body "hump" extended rearwards to accommodate more passengers.
The joint VLCT effort ended in July 1996. Boeing suspended the 747X program in January 1997. Airbus developed its design from 1997 to 2000, targeting a 15 to 20 percent reduction in operating costs over the existing Boeing 747-400.
On 19 December 2000, Airbus voted to launch a A3XX program designation as A380 with 55 orders from six launch customers.
On 23 January 2002, manufacturing of the wing box component of the first A380 started.
Boeing preferred to develop the 400 to 500 seat market derivative from Boeing 747, instead of competition with the A380's capacity market. In November 2005, Boeing finally launching the
Boeing 747-8 after brought back to life the 747X program several times.
The A380 assembly brought by surface transportation. A300-600ST Beluga which is used for other Airbus models can not brought the A380 assembly due to their size.
It takes 3,600 liters (950 gallons) of paint to cover the 3,100 m² (33,000 ft²) exterior of an A380.
A set of A380 wings comprises some 32,000 parts.
The A380 wing tip reached a vertical deflection of 7.4 m (24.3 ft).
A380 Wing Tip
On 18 January 2005, the first prototype of A380 serial number MSN001 and registration F-WWOW, was disclosed at a ceremony in Toulouse, France.
On 27 April 2005, Airbus A380 took maiden flight at 08:29 UTC (10:29 a.m. local time).
The A380 prototype outfitted with Trent 900 engines.
The prototype of A380 departed runway 32L of Toulouse Blagnac International Airport, France with a flight crew of six headed.
Blagnac International Airport
Jacques Rosay was a chief test pilot for A380 first flight.
This maiden flight A380 aircraft carrying 20 tonnes of flight test instrumentation and water ballast.
The take-off weight of this A380 prototype was 421 tonnes. Although this was only 25 percent less than its maximum take-off weight, it was the heaviest take-off weight of any passenger airliner ever flown.
In this maiden flight, the A380 flew for three hours and 54 minutes.
The first Engine Alliance powered A380 MSN011 which is due to enter service with Emirates, had its maiden flight on 4 September 2007.
Five A380s were built for testing and demonstration purposes.
An A380 flew in full Emirates livery at the Dubai Air Show on 19 November 2005.
The Airbus A380 made its first transatlantic flight to Medellín in Colombia, to test engine performance at a high altitude airport on 10 January 2006.
An A380 landed in Iqaluit, Nunavut in Canada for cold-weather testing on 6 February 2006. About 55 Airbus engineers involved on the testing located just south of the Arctic Circle. US Air Force built facilities capable of handling its giant Cold-War-era bomber.
Iqaluit Airport, Canada
The Canadian ar force continues to maintain an airstrip capable of landing CF-18s. Airbus has tested planes in Iqaluit before as have other aerospace such as Raytheon, Boeing and Eurocopter.
On 29 March 2006, the A380 received European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) and United States Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) approval to carry up to 853 passengers.
On 25 August 2006, the first Airbus A380 with GP7200 engines serial number MSN009 and registration F-WWEA performed its maiden flight.
On 4 September 2006, the Airbus A380 flew from Toulouse to make flight test with first full passenger-carrying.
On 12 December 2006, Airbus obtained type certificate for the A380-841 and A380-842 model from the EASA and FAA in a joint ceremony at the company's French headquarters.
In March 2007, one A380 test aircraft flew to New York and one to Los Angeles, the first transatlantic flights of the A380.
The A380-861 model type certificate is planned for 12 December 2007.
Initial production of the A380 was weighed down by delays attributed to the 530 km (330 miles) of wiring. Using the long A380’s wires, you can connect two pairs of city, New York to Los Angeles.
Airbus quoted as primary causes of Airbus A380 delay were the complexity of the cabin wiring (100,000 wires and 40,300 connectors), its concurrent design and production, the use of two incompatible versions of the CATIA computer-aided design software, the high degree of customization for each airline, and failures of configuration management and change control.
In June 2005, Airbus announced the first delay of A380 and notified airlines that delivery would slip by six months.
Singapore Airlines expecting the first A380 in the last quarter of 2006, Qantas getting its first delivery in April 2007 and Emirates receiving aircraft before 2008.
The first delay reduced the number of A380 planned deliveries by the end of 2009 from about 120 to 90–100 aircraft.
On 13 June 2006, Airbus announced a second delay of A380, with the delivery schedule undergoing an additional shift of six to seven months.
This delay still planned the first delivery was before the end of 2006, but deliveries in 2007 would drop to only 9 aircraft.
The second delay reduced the number of A380 planned deliveries by the end of 2009 from about 90-100 to 70–80 aircraft.
The announcement of second delay of A380 caused a 26% drop in the share price of Airbus's parent, EADS.
On 21 July 2006, Singapore Airlines ordered a further 9 A380s.
On 3 October 2006 announced a third delay of A380 upon completion of a review of the A380 program.
The third A380 delay pushed the first delivery for Singapore Airlines to October 2007, to be followed by 13 deliveries in 2008, 25 in 2009, and the full production rate of 45 aircraft per year in 2010.
The third delay pushed back the first delivery to Emirates, the customer with the largest A380 order, to August 2008.
Virgin Atlantic postponed its deliveries by four years, to 2013 due to the third delay of A380.
On 7 November 2006 Federal Express (FedEx) cancelled its order for 10 A380F freighters in favor of 15 Boeing 777 Freighters.
In March 2007, UPS the last remaining customer for the A380F, announced the cancellation of its order.
Airbus decided to hang up work on the A380F freighter version in order to concentrate on delivering the passenger version, the freighter remained on offer.
As of March 2007, Airbus estimated a 2014 entry into service for the A380F.
The first Airbus A380 was delivered to Singapore Airlines (SIA) on 15 October 2007.
First commercial flight of Airbus A380 made on 25 October 2007 from Singapore to Sydney.
Airbus A380 take-off from Singapore Changi Airport and landed on Kingsford Smith International Airport in Sydney, Australia.
Singapore Changi Airport
The first commercial flight of A380 between Singapore and Sydney used flight number SQ380.
A total of 455 passengers were on board the inaugural A380 flight from Singapore to Sydney.
The inaugural A380 flight passengers came from 35 different countries.
Singapore Airlines (SIA) sold the tickets for first commercial A380 flight by online auction on eBay, with the proceeds going to charity.
Singapore Airlines (SIA) auction for seats on the first two commercial flights of the Airbus A380 was nearly S$2 million ($1.3 million).
Singapore Airlines auctioned the seats on the inaugural flights of A380 on eBay with the total auction proceeds of S$2 million ($1.3 million) going to the charities.
The highest bid on the inaugural A380 flights was at US$100,380 for a first class seat package, from an Australian named Julian Hayward.
The cheapest A380 first commercial flight was single economy class seat sold for $560.
Successful bidders for A380 first commercial flight ranged in age, from a San Francisco man who will turn 22 on the day of the flight, to a 76 year old from Vancouver, Canada.
All the proceeds raised from the auction on the first two commercial flights of the Airbus A380 will be split three ways, between Singapore and Sydney charities, and a global humanitarian organisation: One third to Singapore’s Community Chest, One third between the Sydney Children’s Hospital, Randwick, and The Children’s Hospital at Westmead, both in Sydney, One third to Médecins Sans Frontières, also known as Doctors Without Borders.
The first aircraft sold, MSN003, was hand over on 15 October 2007.
Roughly 25 percent of the A380's overall structure is made from carbon-fiber reinforced plastic (CFRP).
Carbon-fiber reinforced plastic, glass-fiber reinforced plastic and quartz-fiber reinforced plastic used extensively on Airbus A380 in wings, fuselage sections (such as the undercarriage and rear end of fuselage), tail surfaces, and doors.
A380 is the first to have a wing cross-section that is smoothly contoured. Other commercial airliners have wings that are partitioned span-wise in sections. The flowing, continuous cross-section allows for maximum aerodynamic efficiency.
A380 uses thermoplastics in the leading edges of the slats.
A380 Leading Edge
A380 uses the new material GLARE (GLAss-REinforced fiber metal laminate) in the upper fuselage and on the stabilizers' leading edges.
GLARE that is used by A380 is lighter and has better corrosion and impact resistance than conventional aluminum alloys used in aviation.
GLARE which is A380 material can be repaired using conventional aluminum repair techniques, unlike earlier composite materials.
The A380-800 was originally designed to carry 555 passengers in a three-class configuration or 853 passengers (538 on the main deck and 315 on the upper deck) in a single-class economy configuration.
A380 was fitted only the two inboard engines with them The FAA disagreed.
Without reversers on the two outboard engines, the amount of debris blown up during A380 landing can be reduced.
The A380 thrust reversers was actuated electrically, giving them better reliability than their pneumatic or hydraulic equivalents, in addition to saving weight.
A380 is the first time of civil airliner that uses power-by-wire flight control actuators.
Power-by-wire A380 flight control actuators have self-contained hydraulic and electrical power supplies.
The A380's 350 bar (35 MPa or 5,000 psi) hydraulic system is an improvement over the typical 210 bar (21 MPa or 3,000 psi) system found in other commercial aircraft since the 1940s.
The A380 uses four 150 kVA variable-frequency electrical generators eliminating the constant speed drives for better reliability.
The A380 uses aluminum power cables instead of copper for greater weight savings due to the number of cables used for an aircraft of this size and complexity.
The A380 electrical power system is fully computerized and many contactors and breakers have been replaced by solid-state devices for better performance and increased reliability.
A380 became the first passenger jetliner using natural-gas mixed synthetic jet fuel.
At February 1, 2008, the A380 performed three hours test flight between the Airbus company facility at Filton in the UK to the main Airbus factory in Toulouse, France used a mix of 60 percent standard jet kerosene and 40 percent Gas to liquids (GTL) supplied by Shell with a success. The fuel was used in one of the A380's four engines. There is no modification on A380 to use natural-gas mixed synthetic jet fuel. The mixed fuel did not produce sulphur.
A380 only involves two cockpit crews.
The length of A380 is 73 m or 239 feet and 6 inches. This European-based passenger jet is almost as long as a football field.
A380 versus Footbal Field Length
The wing span of A380 is 79.8 m or 261 feet 10 inches, 5.2 meter longer than its length.
A380 Length vs Wing Span
Airbus A380 height is 24.1 m or 79 feet 1 inches or around five times than giraffe, the tallest of all land-living animal species.
A380 vs Giraffe Height
A380 operating empty weight is 252,200 kg (556,000 lb). It is 73,444 kg heavier than operating empty weight of B747-400 or fifty times hevier than the elephant, the largest land animals alive today.
A380 vs Boeing 747-400 Weight
Design range of the A380 is 15,200 km (8,200 nmi). It is around 38 % of the circumference of the earth.
A380 vs Earth Circumference
Five largest components suppliers of the A380 are Rolls-Royce, SAFRAN, United Technologies, General Electric, and Goodrich.
Five largest components suppliers of the A380
However, the pressure exerted by its wheels is lower than that of a Boeing 747 or Boeing 777 because the A380 has 22 wheels, four more than the 747, and eight more than the 777.
Airbus A380 Wheels 
Boeing 747 Wheels 
Antonov An-225 Wheels
Based on its wingspan, the U.S. FAA classifies the A380 as a Design Group VI aircraft, and originally required a width of 60 m (200 ft) for runways and 30 m (100 ft) for taxiways, compared with 45 m (150 ft) and 23 m (75 ft) for Design Group V aircraft such as the Boeing 747.
In July 2007, the FAA and EASA agreed to let the A380 operate on 45 m runways without restrictions.
The A380 was designed to fit within an 80 × 80 m airport gate, and can land or take off on any runway that can accommodate a Boeing 747. However, airports used by the A380 in commercial service may need infrastructure modifications.
The terminal gate must be sized such that the A380's wings do not block adjacent gates, and may also provide multiple jetway bridges for simultaneous boarding on both decks.
The Air Traffic Control used the call sign suffix "Super" to distinguish the A380 from "Heavy" aircraft during the A380's maiden trip to the United States in 2007.
The launch customer of Airbus A380 was Singapore Airlines.
Eighteen customers have ordered the A380, including an order from aircraft lessor ILFC.
Total orders for the A380 stand at 193, of which 177 were firm as of November 27th 2007.
Orders for the freighter model reached 27 but dwindled to zero following the production delays.
Airbus expects to sell a total of 750 aircraft, and estimated break-even at 420 units, increased from 270 due to the delays and the falling exchange rate of the US dollar.
As of 2008, the list price of an A380 is US$ 317.2 to 337.5 million with average price is US$ 327.4 million.
A380 Price
The first confirmed private buyer of an A380 for personal use is Saudi Prince Alwaleed bin Talal, who reportedly spent only fifteen minutes on the plane before deciding to put one under contract. He became the first customer for the VIP version of the double-deck airliner. He also already owns a private Boeing 747.
Emirates Airline has placed the most orders for A380 so far.
An Airbus A380, the world’s largest passenger jet, scraped the left wing tip on a maintenance hanger at Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi International Airport at 1 September 2007 as it was preparing for a demonstration flight. The plane, which had been taxiing with journalists and VIP guests on board, suffered minor damage, delaying its planned flight to the northern Thai city of Chiang Mai by just over three hours. There were no injuries.
Suvarnabhumi International Airport
The first A380, which has been operating between Singapore Changi and Sydney since October, rolled off the Singapore’s tarmac at the new Terminal 3 and onto the grass after the truck that was pushing it failed and disconnected from the plane. There were 446 passengers onboard and all disembarked safely.
sources: wikipedia
