"Can airports cope with the new Airbus?"

Sunday, February 27, 2005

Can airports cope with the new Airbus?: Expensive modifications will be
needed to accommodate the gigantic double-decker plane. Jeremy Skidmore
reports
United Kingdom - The Daily Telegraph


The giant Airbus 380, hailed as the future of air travel, has a problem -
most British and international airports will be unable to accommodate it
when it is launched next year.

Airbus says the A380, which will have a 262ft wingspan and be able to carry
555 people, will offer unprecedented comfort and legroom for passengers on a
commercial jet.

Eight airlines have signed up to take the aircraft. Singapore Airlines,
Qantas and Emirates will be the first to use it, with services from
Heathrow.

The British Airports Authority (BAA), which owns Heathrow, is spending
pounds 450-million adapting its terminal and check-in facilities to
accommodate the A380. Los Angeles international airport is also planning to
build a new terminal for the aircraft. Only a few airports, including Munich
and Bangkok, are already equipped for the giant planes.

Other British and most international airports are currently unable to house
the A380, except in the event of an emergency.

David Learmount, an aviation expert with Flight International magazine, said
airports served by airlines planning to use the A380 were committed to
making the necessary modifications. But he added that there could be a
problem if demand for the A380 rises.

``Airports have to make modifications to accommodate the wingspan and the
number of people carried by the A380,'' he said. ``It is clear airport
authorities will only invest the money if they have the business to justify
it. If an airline suddenly tells an airport it wants to start flying in
A380s but can only guarantee two flights a week, the airport is going to say
`forget it' because it's not worth putting in the investment for that kind
of return.''

A spokeswoman for BAA, which also owns Gatwick and Stansted airports, said
it would make modifications according to demand.

``We are concentrating investment in Heathrow because airlines using our
other airports have not yet taken the A380,'' she said.

``At the moment Gatwick and Stansted could only take the aircraft in an
emergency. At Stansted the aircraft would have to park at the far end of the
airport and passengers would then be transferred by coach to the terminal.''

Simon Evans, of the Air Transport Users' Council, said the choice for
passengers could be limited if the A380 was restricted to using only a few
major international airports throughout the world.

``We've been told that this aircraft will set new standards and be very
exciting, so it will be a great shame if people are deprived of using it
because they don't live near a major airport,'' he said.

``Increasingly, international airports are run privately, so decisions about
whether to invest in extended facilities will be based on commercial
considerations.''

Atlanta, one of the biggest airports in the world, has already ruled out
investing the necessary millions of pounds to accommodate the A380. So too
have Seattle, Denver and Las Vegas.

A spokesman for Airbus said it had 149 confirmed orders for the A380 and
hoped to sell more than 700 of the aircraft.

The company faces competition from its rival Boeing, which has unveiled the
new 777-200LR - a much smaller aircraft that will be able to fly non-stop
from London or New York to Sydney, a journey of some 11,000 miles.

The group is also putting its faith in the 787 Dreamliner - formerly called
the 7E7 - which will be able to carry 250 passengers on journeys of up to
9,000 miles (the same distance as the A380), but with the capacity to land
at a wider range of airports.

Mr Learmount said there was room in the market for both types of aircraft.

``People are saying that there's a battle between Airbus and Boeing, but
that's a bit like saying Mini sales are biting into the Rolls- Royce
market,'' he said. ``They are simply catering for different markets and
there's no reason why both can't do well.''


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