Virgin lo vuole più lungo

[marcogiov]

Airbus rolls out A380; Emirates, Virgin want more seats
da ATWOnline.com
Dateline: Wednesday January 19, 2005

Emirates and Virgin Atlantic are pressing Airbus to launch a stretched version of its A380, which was unveiled to the public for the first time yesterday in Toulouse.

Emirates COO Tim Clark told ATWOnline that his airline "wants another 150 seats" on the aircraft as soon as possible. "The specification work has been done and we want to move forward and convert some of our orders to the stretched model," he said. Virgin head Richard Branson joined Clark in seeking the stretched model, telling media his airline wants the larger version for its six options.
At the A380 "reveal," Branson said: "It is a proud moment for Airbus to unveil the first A380, a momentous day in aviation's history and an exciting opportunity for airlines to create new ways of flying for our passengers." He also had a reveal of his own, telling reporters that Virgin Atlantic's A380s will feature larger bars, a casino and more double beds. "Our passengers will have more chances of getting lucky," he joked.

Qantas took a more serious line, confirming to this website that its aircraft will have 501 seats, lounges for all classes and facilities for business meetings and presentations. CEO Geoff Dixon said Qantas will deploy its first four A380s on services between Australia and the US, including Melbourne-Los Angeles (6,883 nm, 12,749 km.) and Sydney-Los Angeles (6,507 nm, 12,052 km.) "No aircraft in the history of commercial aviation has been able to carry as many passengers over such a distance on regular scheduled services. To put it simply, the A380 will enable Qantas to carry more people, further, than ever before," he said.

Dixon heaped praise on the super jumbo, saying that "with its size and technical capabilities, the A380 will change the way predominantly long-haul airlines such as Qantas conduct their business." Qantas was the first to sign a firm contract for the aircraft in 2001 and has commitments for 22.

Singapore Airlines will take the first four A380s to be delivered and Group CEO Chew Choon Seng said its version will seat 490. However, he was tight-lipped on the configuration. SIA will use its first A380s on the London-Singapore-Sydney route.

Airbus COO John Leahy told ATWOnline that he expects the company to sign up three new customers this year for the aircraft including one in China within 30 days. It is expected that both Air China and China Southern will order the A380 this year. --Geoffrey Thomas

[A319FLR]

Bisogna dire che allo stato attuale Airbus sta correndo dritta dritta al successo di questo nuovo modello.

Peccato solo che l'Italia sia presente in minima parte in questo progetto.