The boardroom was hushed. In a corner a solitary fan whirred. Anticipation hung heavy in the air. A dream was being born. In the early 1990s Airbus’s colossal A380 was conceived. The multi-billion dollar Superjumbo: the world’s largest passenger airline. The aggressive challenger to arch-rival Boeing’s dominance of the skies with the familiar, recognised and well-used 747. A magnificent dream indeed.
Publicity boasted of unparalleled comfort and space, relaxation areas, bars, duty-free shops and beauty salons. Murmured rumours of casinos, double beds, gyms and showers circulated. Wider seats, lower costs, 50% less cabin noise – even a reduction in the effects of jetlag – were promised. Keen air travelers waited with baited breath.
And waited. And waited.
I can’t help feeling the final product of Airbus’s original vision could be something of a letdown.
That wait will be over in just seven weeks when Singapore Airlines makes the first commercial flight of the A380, between Singapore and Sydney. Is it worth booking a seat? Well, time changes everything – especially the inside of the A380 if you’re brave enough to hang around to see it.
If you think that queuing to board and disembark from a Boeing 747 is bad, imagine waiting at the gate with 525 other weary travelers – and that’s when the aircraft flies with a three-class passenger configuration. The Superjumbo can carry closer to 1000 people with all traveling economy class. Which begs the question, are the world’s already clogged airports ready to deal with such a mass of humanity converging at one time?
Granted, they’ve had time to prepare when it comes to the A380, but you’d better leave a few hours to spare to get through security at some US and European airports. The wait to have your bags scanned, body frisked and shoes searched is already painful. I can only imagine what an experience hanging around the mesmerising carousel for your luggage will be like.
If like me you hate flying, the thought of the world’s largest airliner lumbering through our skies is more likely to make your palms sweat than your heart swell with pride for man’s (delayed) achievement. Plagued by persistent problems, I can’t help feeling the final product of Airbus’s original vision could be a letdown. In June 2005 the first delays were announced. Airlines were notified that delivery of the eagerly awaited giant of the skies would be postponed by six months. Launch customers Singapore Airlines, Qantas and Emirates were all told to wait.
Then in June 2006 a second delay was announced – of a further seven months. The number of planned deliveries to be made by the end of 2009 was dwindling. And a 26% drop in the share price of Airbus’s parent company, EADS, reflected widespread despondency with the project.
Heads started to roll. EADS CEO Noel Forgeard, Airbus CEO Gustav Humbert and A380 program manager Charles Champion lost their jobs. Malaysia Airlines threatened to cancel their order.
But the bad news didn’t stop there. In October 2006 the third and the largest delay was announced. Launch customer Singapore Airlines was told not to expect its first delivery until October 2007. It had originally been expecting to start commercial services with the aircraft in April 2007.
From complex cabin wiring to issues with being overweight (it seems obesity is not only the affliction of the human), the excuses have been rolled out. But the bottom line is that now, after such a costly fiasco, the much awaited experience of flying on the Superjumbo is likely to be overshadowed by miserable hours spent at the airport and the scrum to board it.
But if flying is your thing, perhaps it is time to grit your teeth, flex your muscles and enter the fray for the ride of a lifetime.
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