Quantas A380 To Fly Again

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MolaKule

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http://www.aviationweek.com/search/AvnowSearchResult.do?reference=xml/awx_xml/2012/01/04/awx_01_04_2012_p0-410947.xml&pubKey=awx&channel=comm&issueDate=2012-01-04&headline=Damaged+A380+Will+Return+In+March%2c+Qantas+Says
 
That has to be an enormous amount of work. I wonder what the stress jacks look like?

On a similar note, what ever happened to that Air France A380 that clipped another plane at JFK?
 
Quote:
Damaged A380 Will Return In March, Qantas Says


Aviation Daily Jan 05 , 2012 , p. 04
Adrian Schofield


Qantas says the Airbus A380 that was badly damaged following an uncontained engine failure in November 2010, VH-OQA, is finally due to return to service in March.

Repair work on the A380 “is progressing well,” a Qantas spokesman tells Aviation Week. Repairs began in May 2011 and are expected to cost AU$135 million ($139.75 million). In early 2011, Qantas said the aircraft would fly again by the end of that year. However, for the past six months, the airline has signaled that a return to service early this year was more likely.

VH-OQA was forced to make an emergency landing in Singapore due to an uncontained engine failure in one of its Rolls-Royce Trent 900 engines, with flying debris causing significant structural damage to the aircraft. This incident led Qantas to ground its A380 fleet while inspections were conducted. The engine failure was eventually traced to a Rolls-Royce manufacturing fault.

Despite early speculation that VH-OQA would be written off, the decision was made to repair it. The cost is covered by insurance. The repairs are being carried out at an SIA Engineering Co. (SIAEC) facility in Singapore. Most of the work is being done by a team of up to 40 Airbus employees, although staff from Qantas Engineering and SIAEC also are supporting the effort.

The aircraft required structural wing repairs and the full replacement of the other systems affected, including pneumatic, electrical and hydraulic systems. All of the original engines on VH-OQA have been removed and replaced with new engines supplied by Rolls-Royce.

According to Qantas, the repair work will be certified by Airbus, and the relevant airworthiness authorities are receiving regular briefings and are auditing the work. Airbus and Qantas will carry out flight testing.

While the repairs to VH-OQA are covered by insurance, Qantas last year negotiated an AU$95 million settlement from Rolls-Royce to compensate for the A380 fleet grounding.
 
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That aircraft seems to really have a limited market. Is it selling very well and is Airbus getting it's expected return?
 
Quote:
...and the relevant airworthiness authorities are receiving regular briefings and are auditing the work...


And if I were the FAA I'd have my Stress-Fatigue guys all over this airplane like a beehive.
 
Originally Posted By: gomes512
On a similar note, what ever happened to that Air France A380 that clipped another plane at JFK?


I havne't been to JFK in awhile so I don't know. However, I had an Comair Jumpseater awhile back who said the CRJ is a total loss. I later found out, the AF at the time had a new Captain in the left seat, a Check airman in the right seat doing IOE on the CA. and another Check Airman in the Jumpseat doing a check on the CA in right seat.
 
Originally Posted By: andrewg
That aircraft seems to really have a limited market. Is it selling very well and is Airbus getting it's expected return?


Airbus is in a losing position on this aircraft right now, but it remains a young program, and I'm sure that Airbus will reach profitability over time with the A380.
There are many international routes with enough demand to support this class of aircraft, so sales will likely improve as the world economy improves.
There is no other aircaft that can match the operating economics of the A380 on routes that can support its capacity.
Boeing must have thought that there was a need for something larger than the 777 as well, or it would not have gone to the expense of developing the 747-8, which hasn't sold all that well to date, although the program should do okay based upon freighter sales alone.
These may be the last four engine airliner designs we'll see.
 
Originally Posted By: MolaKule
Quote:
...and the relevant airworthiness authorities are receiving regular briefings and are auditing the work...


And if I were the FAA I'd have my Stress-Fatigue guys all over this airplane like a beehive.



Problem is that the FAA would have to be invited to do so, since this is a French built (okay, European) aircraft with British engines, registered in Australia, undergoing repair in Singapore.
While the aircraft may be recognized as type certificated by the FAA, the number of American airlines with orders equals zero, and the aircraft in question will find a second home with a US carrier around the time we see Airbus cloning bio-engineered flying pigs.
The FAA has no jurisdiction.
 
Originally Posted By: fdcg27

There is no other aircaft that can match the operating economics of the A380 on routes that can support its capacity.
Boeing must have thought that there was a need for something larger than the 777 as well, or it would not have gone to the expense of developing the 747-8, which hasn't sold all that well to date, although the program should do okay based upon freighter sales alone.
These may be the last four engine airliner designs we'll see.


Totally false.

Since 2000, Airbus A380 has a total of 244 orders with first delivery since 2005. Since 2006, Boeing 747-8 has a total of 106 orders with first delivery Dec 2011. Now that the 747-8 has started delivery the order will pick up. So, overall the number are the same if you understand the trend of aircraft orders and deliveries. When fully matured (2-3 years) the 747-8 will have better economic returns than the A380 because it does not required airport update, less operator retraining, etc.

The Boeing 787 has the A380 beat in all aspect of operating economic and therefore has a total orders of 860 since 2004 with first delivery in Dec 2011. The 787 is so good that airliners and freight operators are willing to wait for it.

Airbus knew that they chose wrong with the A380 and is now scrambling to build the A350 to compete against the B747-8, B777 and B787. This was proven by a confirmed order of 567 A350 with first delivery sometime in late 2014 or early 2015. Contrast this number with only 244 A380 since 2000, one can see why the future of the A380 is not very bright.
 
Boeing went the route they did with the 747-8 becuase in their market estimation, there would not be enough orders to support the costs of developing a plane the size of the A380. To date, the sales of the A380 seem to be backing up that decision. The estimated break even point for profitibility for A380 is still at a level above the present number of orders. On the flip side, the economics for the operators are excellent on the A380, and will not be touched by the 747-8.

The 787 and A380 are aimed at two different segments. Boeing did estimate there was a large market here, and it would appear they are right. Whereas the A380 is aimed at getting as many people as possible between large hubs that may be slot restricted, the 787 is aimed a long distance, direct flights between lesser sized airports that do not have slot restrictions and can support direct flights at the right size.
 
Actually Boeing went with the 747-8 because of requests from freight operators. The first version of the 747-8 is freighter as there is no 747-8I (passenger version) delivered yet. We just got done with FAI on the 747-8 last December and we are delivering the paperwork to Boeing as we speak.

We are 120% on the A350 development per Airbus request and I don't think they can deliver until 2015. The A380 will probably ended up just like the Concord, i.e. flying at a loss with subsidies from the government.

If everything goes according to Boeing's plan, the 747 series will become freighters, the 777 derivatives will replace the 747 as jumbo passenger planes, the 787 derivatives will replace the 777 as the mid size and the 737 derivatives will pick up the rest.
 
The A380 has lower costs per available seat mile than any aircraft currently available for passenger transport.
This is a simple fact, and whether you choose to accept it or not is up to you.
As a signiture line someone here uses puts it "You're entitled to your own opinions. You're not entitled to your own facts".
I own Boeing shares, so I am anxious to see Boeing do well with both the 787 and the 747-8.
Airbus has an economic winner in the A380.
Whether it will be a profitable program remains to be seen, but I am convinced that it will be.
How many US international gateways are effectively slot-limited right now?
Try going through JFK, EWR, ATL, DFW, MIA or ORD during a push and you'll better understand the appeal of a large people mover on those routes that can support it.
For many airports, more flights at departure times that make sense simply aren't possible, and concentrating passenger traffic in larger aircraft is the only available answer to ever-longer delays.
 
The problem here is that you have watched too many infomercial or don't know a whole lot about airlines profitability. A lower cost per available seat mile is by no means a guarantee of profitability. Revenue per Available Seat Mile (RASM)is a commonly used measure of unit revenue for airlines and this is what the airlines show on their bottom line. The A380 can't bring in the revenue based on their projected cost per available seat mile due to other operating costs. This is demonstrated by the low number of aircrafts ordered. The current teething problems with the engines and the airframe are not helping either.

The slots availability is due mainly to the airport runway systems. The problem is not not-enough-slots overall but not-enough-slots during rush hours. Using the A380 for long distance hub to hub is fine but you're still going to need smaller aircrafts to disburse the passengers to smaller markets. These smaller aircrafts take up slots that could be saved by using the B787 bypassing the hub and going to the smaller markets directly.

Nothing proves my point more clearly than the number of aircrafts ordered. The airliners are finding out the promise of the A380 is not the solution to their earnings.
 
Gosh, you'd better share your wisdom with Emirates quickly.
You clearly know more than the mangement of a profitable airline does, and Emirates has 90 A380s on order.
Maybe their management watched too many infomercials too?
Please get with this company, and save them from their doom.
I value your contributions to this thread, and I'm sure many of the world's leading carriers will as well.
 
By the end of this year 2012, Emirates will have over 120 B777 in their fleet compares to may be 23 A380. When do you think Emirates will get all of their 90 A380? Where do you think the profit will come from for Emirates as we speak?
 
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