Word: a380
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Dates: during 2000-2009
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TIME: Why is Airbus building the A380, by far the world's biggest plane...
European airplane maker Airbus has unveiled the world's largest passenger plane, a double-decker behemoth that will seat up to 800 people. The A380 will make its first test flight this spring and begin flying passengers in 2006. But will U.S. airports be ready? No U.S. passenger airline has yet ordered the plane, but three airports--San Francisco's, Los Angeles' LAX and New York's John F. Kennedy--are gearing up for foreign airlines, such as Lufthansa and Singapore Airlines, that have. Some runways and taxiways have to be widened and terminals expanded for the extra passengers. Virgin...
...RICHARD BRANSON, chairman of the British airline, on plans to install casinos and double beds in the carrier's fleet of six A380 superjumbos, unveiled by Airbus last week
...UNVEILED. The AIRBUS A380, the world's biggest passenger plane, at a VIP-packed gala in its hangar; in Toulouse, France. The result of a 10-year, $12 billion program linking construction plants in Britain, France, Germany and Spain, the A380 surpasses in size the U.S.-made Boeing 747, which has dominated the skies for 25 years. Airlines have already ordered more than 140 of the aircraft, which can carry up to 840 passengers on two decks. The first commercial flights are expected in spring...
...costs for a new aircraft can be enormous, with little guarantee that the market will reward innovation. In December 2003, Boeing announced it would build the twin- engine, highly efficient 7E7 - its first new airplane in a decade and its designated aircraft of the future. In contrast to the A380, which is designed to fly lots of people to big hub airports, the smaller (around 220 passengers) 7E7 aims to fly longer distances and to more cities. The company estimates its launch costs at a massive $9 billion. But while Boeing predicted it would have 200 orders...