Category: A380

A380 – First Commercial Flight (Pictures & Videos)

Today (last night even, depends on your time zone) the Airbus A380 successfully did its first commercial flight from Singapore to Sydney. The returning flight from Sydney to Sigapore will be tomorrow on 26th October, departing at 16:00 and arriving at 22:15. These two flights are special charity-flights that raised over $1.3 Mio. The normal scheduled services will commence daily from 28th October.

Pictures – Each picture guides to a separate Flickr Gallery

a380 sydney a380 a380


Videos

Take off from Singapore from inside the cabin:

Landing in Sydney from inside the cabin:

Notice how quite and smooth it is!

Landing including ATC radio:CNN – Takeoff and In-Flight Interview
CNN – Landing at Sydney
http://edition.cnn.com/video/#/video/business/2007/10/25/quest.airbus.a380.experience.cnn (Really funny guy 🙂 )
CNN – Before takeoff

I wish I were on this flight too 🙁 but once again the fun things in life are a privilege only to the wealthy and influential ones 🙁

SQ A380 landed in Singapore

Just a few minutes ago, the first commercial Airbus A380 touched down at Singapore Changi Airport and parked at Terminal 3.

The 471-seater Singapore Airlines A380 (A380-841, MSN003, 9V–SKA, has been previously F-WWSA) arrived from Toulouse, where it had been formally delivered to SIA on Monday in a grand ceremony.

Some 400 guests, including Singapore’s Prime Minister were on hand to welcome the A380 and its crew after the 12-hour flight.
Many more excited people lined the beach off the Airport to witness the new pride of Singapore Airlines making its way to its new home.

Videos I found on YouTube:

Officially news coverage

A380 greeted with water canon salute

Flickr photos by various photographers

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a380 singapore

a380 singapore

Source: Channel NewsAsia

Airbus delivers first A380 to Singapore Airlines

Airbus A380 First Delivery Ceremony

This is a historical day in aviation! Today Airbus has officially handed over the first A380 (A380-841, MSN003, 9V–SKA, has been previously F-WWSA) to Singapore Airlines in a ceremony held at its Delivery Centre Toulouse, France in the presence of over 500 guests. The aircraft was officially handed over to Chew Choon Seng, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Singapore Airlines by Airbus President and Chief Executive Officer Tom Enders in presence of Chief Executive Officer Rolls-Royce Sir John Rose. Singapore Airlines will be the first to fly the A380 on regular scheduled service.

For all who missed the ceremony will be photos and videos made available at http://www.a380delivery.com.

Singapore Airlines also used this opportunity to reveal their new, spacious and luxurious A380-cabin-interior, featuring 471 seats in three classes.

“This delivery really marks the beginning of a new chapter for the aviation industry and we feel honoured to be the ones opening this new chapter”, said Chew Choon Seng, Chief Executive Officer of Singapore Airlines. “With the A380, but also with the new cabin we are offering, our customers will enjoy a completely new way of flying while benefiting from the quietest cabin in the sky. In every class we’ll provide more comfort and more space for relaxation. Our new Singapore Airlines Suites – a class beyond First – will redefine luxury air travel,” he added.

You might want to watch this 2 videos.
Singapore Airlines CEO Chew Choon Seng takes the CEOs of Airbus and Rolls Royce on a tour of its first Airbus A380.

Singapore Airlines Airbus A380 advertising.

“This is a landmark day for all those who worked so hard over the years to make it happen. It is also a tribute to all the engineers and workers who developed the A380, as well as all our customers who selected this magnificent and highly efficient jetliner. We appreciate the confidence they have shown in Airbus and for staying with us through troubled times”, said Airbus President and CEO Tom Enders. “This is all a testimony to their faith in the product and in Airbus. We are especially thankful and proud that an airline of the standing and reputation of Singapore Airlines is the first to operate this all new greener, cleaner, quieter and smarter 21st Century Flagship.”

Singapore’s A380 is powered by four Rolls-Royce Trent 900 engines, which generate 72,000 lbs thrust each. They greatly contribute to the A380’s environmental friendliness. As a result the A380 is setting new environmental benchmarks in air-transport. The A380 has an unmatched fuel efficiency of less than three litres per passenger per 100 kilometres.

“We are delighted that Singapore Airlines, our long standing partner, has selected the Trent 900 engine for its A380 long-haul fleet”, said Sir John Rose, Chief Executive, Rolls-Royce. “It’s the quietest and cleanest engine for the A380, with emissions levels well within the requirements of all current and future legislation.”

The aircraft’s efficiency and advanced technologies results in higher operational flexibility and outstanding economics – with a range of more than 8,000 nm/15,000 km and seat-mile costs 20 percent lower than the former largest aircraft.

The A380 will take-off for Singapore on 16th October, arriving at Singapore’s Changi International Airport the following day. The next generation, eco-efficient double-decker will enter service between Singapore and Sydney, with a special charity-flight, between both cities on 25/26th October. The scheduled services will commence daily from 28th October.

Currently Singapore Airlines has five A340-500 Airbus aircraft in its mainline fleet. In total and to date, Singapore Airlines has further 19 A380, 20 A350 and 19 A330-300 on order.

To date, total orders and commitments for the A380 are 189 from 16 customers. Subsequent aircraft for delivery to Singapore Airlines, Emirates Airlines and Qantas are also well on track.

SIA A380 Cabin Interior Revealed – Pictures

The cabin interior of the Singapore Airlines Airbus A380 has been revealed by Airbus. Following you will find pictures of all 3 classes – Singapore Airlines Suites, Business Class and Economy Class. (More information about the cabin layout)

Singapore Airlines Suites

Singapore Airlines A380 SkySuite

Business Class

Singapore Airlines A380 Business Class

Economy Class

Singapore Airlines A380 Economy Class

Visit http://www.a380delivery.com for more great coverage!

A380 Delivery Ceremony on Monday

Airbus A380 First Delivery Ceremony

Airbus will celebrate the first A380-handover to first customer Singapore Airlines on Monday, 15th October, with a dedicated delivery ceremony from 10.00 to 11.30 am CET (Central European Time). The exclusive event – hosted by Singapore Airlines, Rolls-Royce and Airbus – will take place at the Airbus Delivery Centre in Toulouse (France). The spacious double-decker aircraft is powered by four Rolls-Royce Trent 900 engines.

With http://www.a380delivery.com Airbus has set up a dedicated website to follow this historical event. Featured on this website are also articles and great pictures and videos. Don’t miss it!

“This is a major milestone for the A380 programme, and I would like to express my deepest appreciation to all parties concerned. I want to thank our teams and all those who worked hard, days, nights, and week-ends, for their dedication and commitment,” said Tom Enders, Airbus President and Chief Executive Officer.

At the event Singapore Airlines will reveal their new, spacious and luxurious A380 cabin-interior. The flagship of the 21st century will take-off for Singapore on October 16, arriving at Singapore’s Changi International Airport the following day. The next generation, eco-efficient double-decker will enter service between Singapore and Sydney, with a special charity-flight, between both cities on 25/26th October. The scheduled services will commence daily from 28 October.

Being cleaner, greener, quieter and smarter, the A380 is already setting new environmental benchmarks in air-transport. Per passenger, the A380 has an unmatched fuel efficiency of less than three litres per 100 kilometres.

The A380 will provide more comfort in every class and more open space for relaxation. Customers will enjoy a new way of flying while benefiting from the quietest cabin in the sky. The aircraft’s efficiency and advanced technologies will result in higher operational flexibility and outstanding economics – with a range of more than 8,000 nm/ 15,000 km and seat-mile costs 20 percent lower than the former largest aircraft.

To date, total orders and commitments for the A380 are 189 from 16 customers. Subsequent aircraft for delivery to Singapore Airlines, Emirates Airlines and Qantas are also well on track.

The ceremony can be viewed via Live video stream on www.airbus.com, www.a380delivery.com and will also be available for TV satellite downlink free of charge.

The entire ceremony will be retransmitted via three satellites, covering Europe, the Middle-East, Asia, Australia and America.

1- Transmission hours
15th October 2007
Transmission from 07H20 to 09H45 GMT // from 09H20 to 11H45 CET
Transmission via DVB QPSK 4.2.0

2- Transmission via Eutelsat W3 @ 7° East
Donwlink: 11 043.5 Mhz (bande KU)
Polarisation: Vertical
Symbol Rate: 6.6665
FEC: 7/8

3- Transmission via Asiasat 2 @ 100.5° East
Downlink: 4049.5 Mhz (Bande C)
Polarisation: Vertical
Symbol Rate: 6.6665
FEC: 7/8

4- Transmission via NSS806 @ 319.5° East
Downlink: 4 193.5 Mhz (Bande C)
Polarisation: Linear
Symbol Rate: 6.6665
FEC: 7/8

Photos – A380 at Bradley International Airport (BDL)

At flickr several people posted pictures of the Airbus A380 MSN 009 test aircraft visiting Bradley (BDL) (Connecticut, USA) on October 2 during a technical route proving flight. MSN 009 is equipped with the new Engine Alliance GP7000 engines.

Following the links to the galleries:

British Airways orders A380 – breaking loyalty to Boeing

British Airways has today placed an order for 12 Airbus A380 and 24 Boeing 787 aircraft with options for a further 7 Airbus A380s and 18 Boeing 787s. The airline will order both the B787-8 and B787-9. Both aircraft types will be powered by Rolls-Royce engines. The A380s will be powered by Rolls-Royce Trent 900 engines and the B787s will be powered by Rolls-Royce Trent 1000 engines. The engine order includes a lifetime maintenance contract.

This A380 order means a break of loyalty to Boeing, since British Airways used a Boeing-only longhaul fleet over decades.
The new aircraft will replace 20 of the airline’s B747-400s and its 14 longhaul B767 fleet and will be delivered between 2010 and 2014. The order, including options, will give the airline the ability to grow its capacity by up to four per cent per year and the flexibility to tailor its future capacity growth in line with market conditions.

The aircraft will be greener, quieter and more fuel efficient with significantly lower carbon dioxide emissions and reduced impact on local air quality. This was a key consideration in the order. In terms of CO2 emissions per seat, the A380’s performance will be 17 per cent cleaner than the Boeing 747-400’s, and the B787’s performance 30 per cent cleaner than the B767’s. In terms of NOx emissions, an A380 produces 10 per cent less than a B747-400, and a B787 produces 46 per cent less than a B767.

Willie Walsh, British Airways’ chief executive, said: “This is an exciting day for British Airways with our largest fleet order since 1998. It’s great news for our business, our customers and the environment.

“These aircraft set the gold standard when it comes to environmental performance in the key areas of CO2 emissions, local air quality and noise. They will contribute significantly to our target of improving fuel efficiency by 25 per cent between 2005 and 2025.

“They are also much quieter than their predecessors, which is of vital importance at Heathrow. Both the A380 and B787 are rated as producing a quarter of the noise level of the B747-400.” On the noise rating system at Heathrow, the A380 and the B787 are classed as QC 0.5 on arrival compared to QC2 for the B747-4. (That means they are rated as producing 25 per cent of a 747-400’s noise level.)

The new aircraft types will enable the airline to strengthen further its network strategy, complementing each other in the longhaul fleet. The A380 will be used to provide more capacity for the airline’s key high-density markets and maximise use of scarce Heathrow slots. The B787 will be used to start new routes and increase frequencies in existing markets.

Both aircraft bring significant economic benefits with lower costs per seat. They are both long range aircraft and bring more flexibility in to the fleet as, unlike the B767 that they replace, they can be flown across the airline’s network.

British Airways will continue to consider the most suitable aircraft to replace its remaining B747-400 aircraft and is examining the B787-10, B777-300 ER and A350XWB.

The total list price for the firm orders is US$8.2 billion for the airframe and engines.

The airline currently operates 114 longhaul aircraft – 57 Boeing 747-400, 43 Boeing 777s and 14 Boeing 767s.

Airbus A380 continues route proving tours

Airbus’ A380 MSN009 test aircraft, powered by the new Engine Alliance GP7000 engines will embark on a series of four tours as part of its technical route proving. During this certification exercise, which aims at accumulating 150 hours of “typical airline” continuous operation, the A380 will visit destinations in South America, North America, the Middle East and Asia-Pacific.

The A380 will first go to

  • Bogota (Colombia) – 26th and 27th September,

returning to its home base in Toulouse, South West France. It will then fly to the USA, landing at

  • Windsor Locks (Connecticut), Hebron (Kentucky) and San Francisco (California) – 2nd till 5th October

and back to Toulouse. The route proving will continue, flying to

  • Dubai, Melbourne (Australia), Manilla and Luzon (Philippines) and back to Dubai – 8th till 13th October.

The next destinations to be visited are

  • Bogota (Colombia), Vancouver (Canada) and Osaka (Japan) – 15th to 19th October.

During the technical route proving tour, the A380 will demonstrate that it can be turned around under normal airline operating conditions. The same tours were successfully completed by test aircraft powered by Rolls Royce Trent 900 engines in 2006. Tests will cover, amongst other things, checks on standard aircraft maintenance and behavior, as well as typical airport operations and compatibility, confirming the aircraft’s readiness for entry into service. Type certification for the A380 fitted with Engine Alliance GP7000 engines is expected for December 2007.