What’s Next for The A380?
Image courtesy of S. Solberg J.
The Airbus A380 took its first flight more than 10 years ago and was heralded as being a true feat of engineering and spoken about as the future of air travel. 10 years of statistics tell us that an A380 is taking off or landing somewhere every three minutes, making it one of the most popular planes in the world today.
Whilst today it remains the largest passenger aircraft in the world, Airbus have recently filed a new patent that could see the largest passenger plane becoming even bigger.
The patent sees a larger, taller and wider version of the current A380 being produced, although many crucial decisions, such as where exactly to position the wings and engines, have still to be made and could make or break this new design.
Image courtesy of xuuxuu
There are various different aircraft configurations proposed in the new patent and it uses features from the current A380 model, as well as other planes and aircraft.
Airbus stated that their new full double decker patent “comprises one passenger compartment and cargo compartment whose dimensions can be adjusted to the airline needs by moving the partition wall”, meaning airlines would have more flexibility with the configuration of their aircraft. Sure to be a welcome introduction.
There is also proposed to be the introduction of foldable seats, which would allow airlines to change the formation and structure of their cabin interiors quickly and easily.
One of the issues with the A380 at present is that it is simply too large and has the wrong layout to enable them to supply many of the airports around the world. This now seems to be something Airbus are trying to address with their new patent.
Image courtesy of LoverOfDubai
They propose to introduce a lower deck, which would enable passengers to embark and disembark without using any specialised airport ground equipment, thus enabling it to be used at more airports around the world and not simply the ones who have the specialised ground equipment for it.
These changes are sure to be welcomed also by passengers, who love the A380 flying experience, as it’s the quietest and most comfortable plane on the market today. It is a plane that excites people and makes them enthusiastic about air travel thanks to its sheer size and range modern features.
Many airlines, most notably Emirates, love the A380 and there are more than 150 firm orders placed that are due for delivery over the next few years. It seems the A380’s popularity isn’t set to decline anytime soon and with Airbus tweaking and improving the design for the future it looks like it will be flying in the skies for many years to come.
