By Joey Aguilar
The A380, the world’s largest civil aircraft in history, is considered one of the most environmentally-advanced plane.
Qatar Airways (QA) received in Doha on Thursday its first super-jumbo, flown directly from the Airbus facility in Hamburg, Germany.
The A380 consumes only about three litres per passenger per 100km which is equivalent to that of a modern small family car, according to a fact sheet issued by the national carrier.
The thrust to weight ratio of the A380, which has a maximum take-off weight of up to 575 tonnes, is the lowest in its class, by 25%, yet it requires less runway to take-off and land.
“Our first A380 is expected to provide passengers with comfort and seamless flying experience,” Qatar Airways Group CEO Akbar al-Baker told a press conference on Thursday. The inaugural flight is on October 10 to London.
He described the newest member of the airline’s fleet as “a truly magnificent and largest aircraft that has ever been built in human history - A product that is quite simply unparalleled anywhere”.
QA’s A380-800 features 517 seats in a three-class configuration of eight First Class, 48 Business Class and 461 in the Economy.
One of the key features of the aircraft is the in-flight Wi-Fi connectivity for all passengers which will allow them to send e-mails, surf the web, or stay up-to-date with their social network.
More than 65mn passengers flew on board A380 aircraft since they entered into commercial service in October 2007.
Every four minutes, an A380 either takes off or lands at one of the 41 airports where it operates today and the network is constantly growing, according to Airbus, the manufacturer.
The superjumbo is 24.1m tall and has an overall length of 72.7m. Its maximum cabin width is 6.5m for the main deck and 5.8m for the upper deck.
Its wingspan is 79.8m, with a wing area of 845sq m. It has a fuel capacity of 320,000 litres and can reach up to a maximum altitude of up to 45,000ft.
Since it is shorter in length due to its double deck design, the A380 has better manoeuvrability on the ground. Aerodynamically efficient, its noise levels are reduced similar on both the main and upper deck.
The super-jumbo is made with 25% composite material instead of a conventional full metal structure, enabling a 15-tonne weight saving which also lessens fuel consumption.
Airbus has made significant enhancements in the flight deck to enhance situational awareness and operational safety of the aircraft. These include: larger interactive displays that allow horizontal and vertical navigation data to be represented simultaneously, on board Airport Navigation System, Brake to Vacate and Runway Over-run Protection System.
The seats and special amenities in each of the cabin classes are proprietary to QA and have been crafted in close collaboration with the respective manufacturers.
“The interior of the airplane is specified by each airline. Qatar Airways has very high specifications in our cabins,” said al-Baker.
In First Class there are eight suites on the upper deck in a 1-2-1 configuration. It has a 90” full flat bed and 26” HD in-flight entertainment screen. All seats have direct aisle access and exclusive spa-like bathrooms with luxurious amenities.
There are 48 seats in Business Class on the upper deck in a 1-2-1 configuration. It has an 80” full flat bed (effective pitch: 51”) and a 17” HD in-flight entertainment screen. All seats have direct aisle access.
In the Economy Class, there are 56 seats on the upper deck in a 2-4-2 configuration, and 405 seats on the main deck in a 3-4-3 configuration. It has 10.6” in-flight entertainment screen.
Economy passengers on both decks benefit from Airbus’ signature 18+” wide seats.
“Premium passengers” can visit the spacious in-flight lounge, one of the unique features of the A380.
The two passenger decks have a total area of 550sq m which is similar to three tennis courts.
Known to have the quietest cabin in the sky, the superjumbo generates 50% less noise energy during take-off than any wide-body jetliner flying today. It is also three-to-four times less when landing.
The cabin of the A380 is split into 15 different temperature control zones. The temperature in each can be varied between 18 and 30 degrees.
Passengers can also easily store any carry-on baggage due to the full length upper deck additional side storages.
