Late-running Airbus big bird still needs work

A report in The Australian by Steve Creedy says that Singapore Airlines has urged Airbus to concentrate on getting its A380 production running smoothly before it starts looking at variants of the aircraft.

Airbus intends ultimately to produce a longer version of the double-deck plane capable of carrying even more passengers, but Singapore Airlines chief executive Chew Choon Seng this week urged his Airbus counterpart, Tom Enders, to focus on the existing A380.  “If you look at the physical dimensions of the plane, yes, it looks to be a candidate for stretch but that can come later,” Mr Chew said.

“I would urge Tom and his colleagues to focus their resources and their talents on making sure the plane is productionised and successfully settled down into service.”

SIA took delivery of its first A380 on Monday and will operate the first commercial flight using the plane between Singapore and Sydney on October 25.

Problems with wiring on the first 26 planes mean the first wave of deliveries has been delayed by up to two years and SIA’s aircraft was 18 months late.

A small army of about 1000 German workers has been transferred to Toulouse to rewire the affected planes by hand.

Work on a second wave of aircraft using new design tools and a more efficient industrial process is to get under way late next year or early in 2009.

That process is expected to enable production of about four planes a month by 2010.

The problems led to estimated development costs of the big plane ballooning by 50 per cent to $US18 billion and forced a restructure that cut 10,000 jobs in an attempt to reverse a E572 million loss.

Singapore, Qantas and Emirates are among the airlines affected by the delays and Mr Chew said in Toulouse that he hoped the revised delivery program remained on time so Singapore’s plans were not further affected.

Mr Enders said he was confident the aircraft maker would reach its targets but he was unable to guarantee it.  “As important as this milestone is, it’s part of a four-year recovery program and the big challenge of ramping up production -13 aircraft next year, 25 after that – is ahead of us,” he said.

“We have every reason to believe, with all the lessons we’ve learned and with all the new processes and tools we’re going to apply, that we can make it.”

“This program has the utmost priority for resources at Airbus.'”

When pressed for a guarantee, however, Mr Enders accused a reporter of posing unrealistic questions.  The manufacturer had every confidence it could deliver because it had the resources and processes in place, he said.

He wanted to dispel any notion that, now the first aircraft had been delivered, everything else would be “a piece of cake”.

“Obviously it’s not coming automatically.”  “It’s hard work,” he said.

Mr Enders had earlier described how the manufacturer had, “dived deep under the skin” of Airbus to discover the cause of the problems after its delayed announcement in June last year.

“In a nutshell, the root cause was the company was not integrated enough, we had problems of different design tools and processes and I would say that, by and large, we greatly underestimated the complexity of this plane, particularly the electrical wiring and harnesses,” he said.

“Since then we have taken action to recover. We have designed a new electrical process -that was done, by the way, by a joint French-German team here in Toulouse – and that work has been concluded.”  “The new design process has now been applied to future aircraft, particularly in what we call the wave-two aircraft.”

Airbus and SIA agree one upside of the delay is that extra testing means the A380 is a far more mature plane than its predecessors.

Ten aircraft, including five development planes, have conducted thousands of hours of testing and that is likely to mean fewer teething problems as it enters service.

“We are glad that Airbus took the time to make sure the plane was fully tested and developed before it entered commercial service,” Mr Chew said.

“In fact, the extra time has allowed them to deliver what we consider a quite mature plane.  “This plane has done more test flying than other aircraft that I’ve experienced in the past 30 years.”

An outstanding question is whether regulators will reduce the minimum distance at which smaller planes follow the A380 to avoid problems with wind vortices created by the wings.

The manufacturer has conducted extensive testing and says the wake vortex from the A380 is no worse than that of existing planes such the 747.

Executives are optimistic the International Civil Aviation Organisation will this year tighten the separation required for planes following the A380, reducing delays at airports.

Airlines are still comfortable with the plane because it can fly closer to planes ahead of it and this partly offsets delays caused by the requirement of following planes to stay further back.

This week’s handover made Singapore the first airline to reveal the inside of an A380 and move to establish a new benchmark in premium-class luxury.

There’s a sting in the tail for premium class passengers: the airline wants to charge 20 to 25 per cent more for the luxurious private cabins that replace its existing first class and expects to get about 20 per cent more from business class passengers.

Singapore will have a monopoly on A380s until Qantas and Emirates start taking delivery of their aircraft around August next year.

The introduction of competing products may not lead Singapore to cut its premium price.

Those flying in the new aircraft when it makes its first commercial flight on October 25 will find more spacious cabins and stunning new first and business class sections.

The airline has used the 50 per cent extra floor space on the double-deck plane to give its 471 passengers more space.

The 12 first class and 60 business class passengers benefit most but there is also extra space for the 399 economy travellers.

The pointy end of the plane has private suites with spacious leather armchairs and a full-size bed that folds out from the walls.

Passengers will watch, listen to or play more than 1000 on-demand options on the airline’s eX2 in-flight entertainment systems on a 23-inch high-definition widescreen LCD TV – the biggest in the sky.  Couples travelling together can have the middle two suites converted into a double bed.

Business class customers get the world’s widest business class seat (34 inches) in a four-abreast, forward-facing configuration.

The one-two-one configuration means everyone gets an aisle seat and there is an area for business passengers to pick up snacks and socialise in-flight.

The new economy class seat gives extra space through an improved design that ends the infamous knee crunch when the person in front reclines their seat.

The extra leg and knee room is available in all seats and there seem to be more seats with even more space because they are next to exits or other free areas.

The economy sections span two levels and the top level has two seats next to the windows instead of three.  Economy passengers get in-seat power and a reading light under the seatback screen.

All classes will be able to access office software in-flight and store their work by plugging in a USB thumb drive.

Australians were among passengers tested in focus groups and the extensive customer research the airline conducted while developing its product.

Their reaction, according to Mr Chew, was in line with that of other passengers and reflected a preference for more personal space and room to stretch out.

“I think we have attempted to fulfil those aspirations,” he said.

“This plane has a very wide fuselage that, even in coach, gives you a feeling of spaciousness.”

“Even more revolutionary, or revelationary is that it is extremely quiet, not only outside but inside too.”  “That will be one of the unique selling propositions for people with a choice flying in the 380 and another aircraft.”  “The concerns about getting on board and checking in 600 passengers are a bit overblown, as you can see as you walk through the plane.”

“It’s not that daunting.”  “All airports can handle it.”

Improved aerodynamics mean the aircraft will be quieter for those living under flight paths and both Airbus and SIA stress the 380’s environmental credentials.

The aircraft is powered by four giant Rolls-Royce Trent 900 engines that each develop 72,000 pounds of thrust.

At 2.9 litres per passenger per 100km for the Singapore configuration, the aircraft burns about 20 per cent less fuel per seat-mile than existing large aircraft.

Airbus executives say comparing the quieter cabin with existing planes is like comparing a noisy office with a quiet restaurant.

Airbus is hoping the introduction of the giant plane to service will prompt other airlines to join the 16 that have placed orders.

In addition to Singapore Airlines, Qantas and Emirates, existing customers include Malaysia Airlines, Etihad, Thai Airways, Virgin Atlantic, China Southern, Air France and Lufthansa.

Airbus recently announced two new customers, British Airways and Grupo Marsans, taking orders and commitments to 189.

Airbus head salesman John Leahy said earlier this year he expected to add about 20 A380s to the order book this year, but he said in Toulouse on Monday that he expected the figure to be closer to 30 orders, “if not beyond”.

Steve Creedy travelled to Toulouse courtesy of Singapore Airlines and Airbus

The Mole will be reporting from the arrival of the Singapore Airlines A380 in Sydney on Thursday.

A Report by The Mole from The Australian