Posted 1/18/2005 05:29:00 PM by Douglas

So Airbus wants to build the largest commercial aircraft in the world. Should the rest of the world care? Should Boeing be scared? Probably not. Check out what the BBC has to say about it.

In fact, the presence of the politicians is far from spurious. Without government assistance, the A380 would probably never have been built.

Billions of euros have been handed over in "launch aid loans" in recent years - under generous repayment terms - to assist Airbus's development of the A380.

This has angered the US, which is home to rival aerospace giant Boeing.

Basically, this is the same airplane Boeing launched in 1969, but instead of the distinctive hump towards the forward section, its double decker runs the entire length of the fuselage, allowing Airbus to cram inside as many as 800 people.

But the main point about this super tanker-sized aeroplane is that it can fit up to 840 people into its generous hull - although a more typical seating arrangement with a large first class and business class will seat about 555 passengers.

This, Airbus insists, will change forever the market for long-haul flights.

What's new about 500 people in an airplane? The 747 can hold over 500 people, but airlines don't make any money off of that configuration because (here's the big shocker) no one wants to fly in a sardine can for 10 hours. Either case, this is hardly going to "change forever the market for long-haul flight."

Plus, what's the reason for the waning sales of the 747 over the years in favor of a smaller wide-body, like the 757? This graphic tells the whole story. The A380 can carry 33% more passengers 11% farther than the 747. Is that reason enough to spend over $11 Billion on a plane that the rest of the world has already decided is too big? Somehow I doubt that.