The giant Airbus A380 took-off from its production site in Toulouse, southern France with nearly 50,000 people watching the test flight, which was also broadcast live on global television.
The flight lasted four hours but more than a year of further flight-testing and certification-programme work is planned before the A380 starts commercial services.
While Airbus has invested more than 10 years and $15 billion in the A380, based on a strategy of building super-jumbo long-haul planes, arch-rival Boeing is focusing on its new mid-sized short-haul 7E7 Dreamliner aircraft and possible modification of its ageing 747 to carry 450 passengers.
The A380 is wider (250 feet…twice the distance of Wright brothers first flight), longer (251 feet…50 feet longer than the 747), heavier (400 tons), carrying more passengers (555 to 800) than any other passenger aircraft, costing between $263 million and $286 million each. According to Airbus, the A380 has about a 13% lower fuel burn than the Boeing 747.
Airbus believes it is on track to meet a break-even sales target of 250 aircraft, with 154 orders secured so far (no US airlines). The big question is when – as major international airports have jet to decide if and when they would refit to handle the new aircraft, some airlines wait to make purchase decisions.
Meanwhile, Boeing on Monday and Tuesday announced two major contracts. A $5 billion order for 32 jets from Air Canada and one day later another $6 billion order for 50 new aircraft from Air India, including 27 787s, Boeing’s newest jet, the Dreamliner.
Pan-European firm EADS owns 80% of Airbus, with the UK’s BAE Systems controlling the remaining 20%.
The A380 production has also been the focus of a major trade dispute between the US and Europe over illegal government subsidies paid to their respective aircraft industries.
