A380-800

A380’s stellar performance undermined by ongoing technical delays: operators

By Max Kingsley-Jones

Two years on from its service debut, operators have told Flightglobal that the Airbus A380
has proved itself to be a crowd pleaser from a passenger point of view but suffers some frustrating technical problems.
This week's Flight International features our exclusive
A380 in-service report, in which launch customers Emirates, Qantas and
Singapore Airlines provide no-holds-barred overviews of the
double-decker's performance, while Airbus, Engine Alliance and Rolls-Royce give feedback on their experiences.
The general verdict is that the A380 has delivered a significant
operational boost to the airlines' marketing teams and has equalled or
bettered performance guarantees but continues to experience technical
delays caused by problems that Airbus acknowledges it should have got
on top of by now.
"We're busting our seams on the A380this aeroplane is a peach," says Emirates Airline
president Tim Clark, who adds that performance has beaten the
manufacturer's guarantees. "The faster the A380 flies the less fuel it
burns," he adds.
This is echoed by Qantas group executive operations Lyell Strambi
who says the aircraft has "met or exceeded" all the guarantees.
The airlines are united in their praise for Airbus's support, which
executive vice-president Tom Williams admits is running at a "heavier
level" than envisaged at this point in the programme.
The A380 has suffered the usual gremlins that crop up during early
operations, such as problems with sensors and some component failures.
However, the single most frustrating technical issue centres around the
warning system, which SIA and Emirates believe is too sensitive, and
results in misplaced fault messages.
Clark blames the problem on "overcomplex" software that has dragged
down the technical despatch reliability from the 98.5% target to the
"96-97%" level.
Airbus says it is working hard to address the problem and raise the
TDR to the target level, which Williams expects will be achieved by
mid-2010.
SIA, which has the largest A380 fleet and was the type's first
operator two years ago, says it has suffered some "teething problems"
with its Rolls-Royce Trent 900 engines, which has prompted a number of unscheduled changes.
R-R's head of marketing for Airbus programmes, Richard Keen, says
that SIA's "very precautionary approach" to its A380 operations, with
regard to any possible operational risks, "necessitated an extra engine
change or two".
However, he adds that all the teething problems have been "closed
out or contained" and that the Trent 900's "disruption index" is
running at 99.8% - in line with a mature Trent product.

http://www.flightglobal.com/articles/2009/11/09/334396/a380s-stellar-performance-undermined-by-ongoing-technical-delays.html

SIA Engineering completes first A380 heavy check
By Leithen Francis

Singapore Airlines Engineering has completed the first 'C-check' on an Airbus A380 and hopes to do A380 heavy checks for other carriers.

The first 'C-check' has been completed and the aircraft worked on has local registration 9V-SKA, it says.

A second 'C-check' is due to be completed on another aircraft this year, it says, adding that next year there will be one 'C-check' in total.

The work this year is being done at an SIA Engineering Boeing 747 hangar but the company has a purpose-built A380 hangar under construction that is due to be completed next year, it says.

Completing heavy checks on A380s is a challenge because of the A380's height and "the electronic systems in the aircraft are very sensitive so keeping the aircraft cool is a challenge", says the company, referring to Singapore's tropical environment.

The other challenge is getting engineers classified to work on the A380, it says, adding that "many new tools are being used" and it was a challenge getting - within a short span of time - proficiency in using the tools.

SIA Engineering has spoken in the past with Qantas Airways about co-operating on maintenance of A380s but SIA Engineering's spokesman today declined to comment on this when contacted by ATI.

He was only willing to say, the company wants to do third-party A380 work and the work it can do for others includes A380: line and heavy maintenance, component maintenance and overhaul, technical training and engine changes.

SIA Engineering owns 100% of Aircraft Maintenance Services Australia which can support the A380 in major Australian airports, the company adds in its statement.

The airline operates the A380 to Sydney and Melbourne as well as to Hong Kong, London Heathrow and Tokyo.

Airbus delays first A380 for Malaysia Airlines


Malaysia Airlines Airbus A380 (Airbus image)
Malaysia Airlines will get its first Airbus A380 super-jumbo jet eight months later than previously planned, the carrier's managing director and chief executive told Dow Jones Newswires Thursday.

"We have never requested for the A380s to be delayed; all delays have been at Airbus' request," Azmil Zahruddin said in an email, according to Dow Jones.

The delay pushes Malaysia's first A380 delivery from January 2011 to August 2011. Malaysia has six A380s on order, with Airbus previously pushing back delivery of the first aircraft from 2007 to 2011, Dow Jones reported.

Airbus has encountered trouble ramping up the pace of A380 production, in part because of the large amount of customization of each plane

Air France A380 returns to New York after computer glitch


An Airbus A380 operated by Air France lands for the first time on a commercial Paris-New York route at John F. Kennedy Airport in New York, Nov. 20, 2009. (EMMANUEL DUNAND/AFP/Getty Images)
An Air France A380 super-jumbo jet returned to New York 90 minutes after taking off for Paris on Saturday because of a glitch with its navigation system, Agence France Presse reported Monday.

"The plane is new and is still getting into its stride," an Air France spokesman told AFP. "It was a minor computer problem that made navigation a little imprecise."

It took off again three hours later, after repairs, the story said.

The incident was noteworthy mainly because Air France just started flying the A380 into New York Nov. 20. AFP noted that a Singapore Airlines A380 returned to Paris Sept. 27 after one of its four engines failed, although Airbus later said the engine trouble was a "non event" in technical terms.

A380 deliveries yet to overtake 2008 total
By David Kaminski-Morrow

Airbus would have to deliver another six A380s this month to meet its revised 2009 target of 13 aircraft, and overtake the dozen it delivered last year.

The airframer, which has just released its order book data for November, delivered seven of the type in the first 11 months of this year.

Emirates, which took one in April, is set to introduce two more A380s during December, which it will deploy on services to Seoul and Paris.

The two remaining deliveries to Qantas scheduled for this year - the airline's fifth and sixth A380s - were pushed back to December.

Singapore Airlines and Air France are to take another one and two A380s respectively by 31 March 2010.



Air France, which opened flights to New York with its first A380 last month, is to begin using the type on the Johannesburg route from 3 February 2010.

But while the airline had intended to use the A380 to Dubai from 18 January, its schedule for the route does not list the type.

Airbus revised downwards the 2009 delivery target for A380s four times in the 18 months since May last year, the result of production problems and customer deferrals.

Last year the airframer delivered five A380s to Singapore Airlines, four to Emirates and three to Qantas.

Airbus ne tiendra pas son objectif de livraison d'A380 cette année

PARIS — Le constructeur aéronautique Airbus ne devrait livrer que dix très gros porteurs A380 aux compagnies aériennes cette année, soit moins que son objectif et moins qu'en 2008, a-t-on appris mercredi de sources concordantes.
"Sur l'A380 on arrivera à dix (livraisons) au lieu de treize prévues au départ", a indiqué à l'AFP une source syndicale sous le couvert de l'anonymat. "Il y a apparemment toujours des problèmes de montée en cadence et d'industrialisation", a expliqué cette source.
La compagnie aérienne australienne Qantas, qui devait recevoir un nouvel avion géant à la toute fin de l'année, ne sera finalement livrée que le mois prochain. "Nous prendrons livraison de notre sixième A380 dans la première semaine de janvier", a indiqué une porte-parole de Qantas à l'AFP.
Un porte-parole d'Airbus a confirmé que l'avionneur n'a livré que dix appareils jusqu'à présent mais a ajouté que l'année "n'est pas encore finie".
Les appareils dont les livraisons ne sont pas assurées cette année "ne sont pas perdus et seront livrés en janvier 2010", a-t-il assuré.
Airbus espérait encore il y a un an remettre vingt-et-un A380 aux compagnies cette année, mais cette ambition a peu à peu été revue à la baisse. Le dernier objectif de l'avionneur portait sur treize livraisons, mais la direction avait reconnu qu'"une ou deux" pourraient bien être repoussées au début de 2010.
En tout état de cause, Airbus aura livré moins d'exemplaires de son très gros porteur cette année que l'an dernier. L'avionneur avait tenu de justesse son pari d'en remettre douze en 2008, en livrant le dernier appareil de l'année à la veille de la Saint-Sylvestre.
L'A380 avait été qualifié de "source de préoccupation" en novembre par Louis Gallois, le président exécutif d'EADS, la maison mère d'Airbus, qui avait reconnu que le progrès de sa production est "plus lent que prévu".
Cependant, tous types d'appareils confondus, Airbus espère cette année battre un record en faisant mieux que les 483 avions livrés en 2008.
Au total, les compagnies aériennes possèdent 23 exemplaires de l'A380: dix chez Singapore Airlines, sept chez Emirates, cinq chez Qantas et un exemplaire pour Air France.
La compagnie française est la première en Europe à posséder l'appareil, qu'elle exploite depuis le mois de novembre entre Paris et New York. Cette mise en service a cependant été compliquée par une série de pannes sur son unique avion géant.
Les A380 ont transporté plus de 3 millions de passagers sur plus de 9.000 vols commerciaux, selon les données du constructeur. L'avion a été commandé à 202 exemplaires au total.

L’A380 dépasse les attentes en termes de performances

L’A380 affiche une consommation de carburant par passager inférieure à celle du 747-400 d’environ 17 pour cent. La compagnie de lancement de l’A380 indique une consommation de carburant par passager inférieure d’au moins 20 pour cent à celle du 747-400 actuel. En outre, l’A380-800 a besoin de 17 pour cent de piste en moins pour décoller et de 11 pour cent de piste
en moins pour atterrir par rapport au 747-400 ; son altitude de croisière initiale est plus élevée de 4 000 ft, sa vitesse en approche inférieure de 20 kts, et son rayon d’action supérieur de 1 100 nm. L’A380 peut également atteindre une vitesse de croisière allant jusqu’à Mach 0,89.

De plus, comparé au futur 747-8i, l’autonomie (8 200 nm) de l’A380 dans le monde avec une charge passagers maximale signifie que cet appareil affiche un plus long rayon d’action, tout en ayant la consommation de carburant la plus faible (jusqu’à huit pour cent inférieure par siège par rapport au 747-8i).

Airbus Works to Stamp Out A380 Bugs Haunting Flights (Update1)

By Andrea Rothman

Jan. 12 (Bloomberg) -- Airbus SAS and airlines that fly its A380 superjumbo are working to eradicate technical bugs that dogged the jet in recent months and threaten to hurt the appeal of the world’s largest passenger plane.

Emirates Airline, the biggest buyer of the A380, delayed by several hours a South Korea to Dubai flight this week after fuel system glitches. The incident affected 420 passengers and was one of at least eight since September on A380s, as malfunctions from the fuel supply to the engine forced delays or detours.

“I think 40 airplanes down the line, they’ll have ironed out all the bugs,” Tim Clark, president of Emirates, which has 51 A380 orders still pending, said in an interview. “These are not untypical for a new aircraft program.”

Glitches on the A380 draw more publicity than on other jets because airlines tout the double-decker plane as their flagship model, whose size and luxuries including private cabins are a magnet for travelers. The A380 remains a rare sight around global airports, with just 23 so far in service, giving the A380 an exotic cachet that also amplifies any malfunctions.

Airbus will likely have produced about 40 A380s by the middle of this year, based on the rate of output and the numbers of the model already in service. Mechanical problems of the kind experienced on the A380 are the norm with new jets, and benefits including fuel efficiency and the appeal among travelers outweigh the nuisance of delays, Clark said.

Emirates worked through similar initial technical faults when it introduced the now 15 year-old Boeing Co. 777, he said.



Rippling Effect



Still, any technical glitch forcing a later takeoff, mid- air turnaround or outright cancellation of an A380 flight has a larger knock-on effect because of the number of passengers the plane can accommodate. Airlines have to put customers up in hotels or shuttle them back home for another flight. Airbus pays for jet modifications that need to be undertaken under warranty.

“It’s something I admit is a disappointment and we need to improve,” Airbus CEO Tom Enders said today at a briefing. “It’s clearly teething problems. There’s no pattern that suggests it’s due to production. It’s a complex aircraft and you’ll find these teething problems in different areas: Fuel is just one of them.”

Airbus has won 200 orders for the aircraft, and aims to deliver about 20 jets to airlines this year, including new clients such as Deutsche Lufthansa AG. Airlines that choose to be among the first buyers typically get larger discounts to make up for early defects.



‘A Little Vexing’



“Obviously the plane has some problems that are a little vexing, particularly fuel system problems, but they’ll undoubtedly get control of that,” said Hans Weber, president of San Diego-based Tecop International, which advises aerospace companies on strategy, marketing and technology.

Airbus is marketing the A380 as a means to link global hubs with a plane that typically seats 525 and can accommodate more than 800 people, with fuel savings of as much as 20 percent over smaller models. Boeing has chosen a different strategy with its 787 Dreamliner, betting airlines will want more flexibility connecting smaller airports around the world.

European Aeronautics, Defense and Space Co., the Paris- and Munich-based parent of Airbus, has predicted additional charges from the A380 as it struggles to lift production rates and some customers postpone delivery. Production of the A380 has been complicated by airlines demanding custom interiors that include lounge bars and on-demand video.

When the plane entered service in October 2007, it was two years late and $6 billion over its original $12 billion budget. Airbus delivered 10 A380s in 2009, one short of its goal and less than a year earlier. It had initially planned more than twice the amount for 2009.



No Pattern



So far the bugs displayed by the A380 have followed no pattern. Qantas Airways Ltd. kept 443 passengers on an A380 for more than five hours in Melbourne on Jan. 4 before canceling the Los Angeles-bound flight because of a defective fuel indicator. On Dec. 16, a Singapore Airlines A380 returned to Paris after two hours in the air following a cut in the power supply to on- board kitchen facilities. In September, another Singapore plane returned to Paris after one of its four engines failed, the first time a malfunction forced an aborted flight on an A380.

EADS Chief Executive Officer Louis Gallois called that incident an “absolute non-event” because the A380 can continue safely on just three of its four engines. Singapore Airlines spokesman Nicholas Ionides said the faults reported so far are “isolated and unrelated.”

“Based on our previous experience of entry into the service of new aircraft types, the A380 has had undoubtedly the smoothest introduction to our fleet,” Ionides said by e-mail.



Grounded



Air France endured two technical malfunctions on its only A380 within a space of a fortnight, resulting in an aborted mid- air flight from New York to Paris on Nov. 27 and a forced hotel night for passengers in New York on Dec. 14. The company remains confident in the A380 and has positive passenger feedback, spokeswoman Marina Tymen said.

Clark, the Emirates president, agrees that there is no pattern to the glitches, and the airline is working with Airbus to smooth out the problems. He said the complexity of the A380 stems from the number of new systems in use, the jet’s size as well as a degree of customization unheard of in other models.

That has helped make the A380 a crowd-pleaser that for now eclipses the pains associated with a delay or detour, he said.

“It’s popular with the traveling public,” Clark said. “They really go out of their way to get on the plane.”