Airbus A380 - wikipedia Airbus A380 `` A380 '' redirects here. For other uses, see A380 ( disambiguation ). A380 Emirates is the largest operator of the A380. Role Wide - body, double - deck jet airliner National origin Multi-national Manufacturer Airbus First flight 27 April 2005 Introduction 25 October 2007 with Singapore Airlines Status In service Primary users Emirates Singapore Airlines Lufthansa Produced 2005 -- present Number built 215 as of 31 August 2017 Program cost € 15 billion ( Airbus 2015 ) to € 25 billion ( 2016 estimate ) Unit cost US $ 436.9 million ( 2017 ) The Airbus A380 is a double - deck, wide - body, four - engine jet airliner manufactured by European manufacturer Airbus. It is the world 's largest passenger airliner, and the airports at which it operates have upgraded facilities to accommodate it. It was initially named Airbus A3XX and designed to challenge Boeing 's monopoly in the large - aircraft market. The A380 made its first flight on 27 April 2005 and entered commercial service on 25 October 2007 with Singapore Airlines. An improved version, the A380plus, is under development. The A380 's upper deck extends along the entire length of the fuselage, with a width equivalent to a wide - body aircraft. This gives the A380 - 800 's cabin 550 square metres ( 5,920 sq ft ) of usable floor space, 40 % more than the next largest airliner, the Boeing 747 - 8, and provides seating for 525 people in a typical three - class configuration or up to 853 people in an all - economy class configuration. The A380 - 800 has a design range of 8,500 nautical miles ( 15,700 km ), serving the second - and third - longest non-stop scheduled flights in the world ( as of February 2017 ), and a cruising speed of Mach 0.85 ( about 900 km / h, 560 mph or 490 kt at cruising altitude ). As of August 2017, Airbus had received 317 firm orders and delivered 215 aircraft ; Emirates is the biggest A380 customer with 142 ordered of which 97 have been delivered. Contents 1 Development 1.1 Background 1.2 Total development cost 1.3 Production 1.4 Testing 1.5 Production and delivery delays 1.6 Entry into service 1.7 Improvements and upgrades 1.8 Post-delivery issues 2 Design 2.1 Overview 2.2 Engines 2.3 Wings 2.4 Materials 2.5 Avionics 2.6 Passenger provisions 2.7 Integration with infrastructure and regulations 2.7. 1 Ground operations 2.7. 2 Takeoff and landing separation 2.7. 3 Maintenance 3 Variants 3.1 A380F 3.2 A380 - 900 3.3 A380neo 3.4 A380plus 4 Market 4.1 Size 4.2 Frequency and capacity 4.3 Production 4.4 Cost 4.5 Secondary 5 Orders and deliveries 5.1 Timeline 6 Operators 6.1 Notable routes 7 Incidents and accidents 8 Specifications 9 See also 10 References 10.1 Bibliography 11 Further reading 12 External links Development Background In mid-1988, Airbus engineers led by Jean Roeder began work in secret on the development of an ultra-high - capacity airliner ( UHCA ), both to complete its own range of products and to break the dominance that Boeing had enjoyed in this market segment since the early 1970s with its 747. McDonnell Douglas unsuccessfully offered its smaller, double - deck MD - 12 concept for sale. Roeder was given approval for further evaluations of the UHCA after a formal presentation to the President and CEO in June 1990. The megaproject was announced at the 1990 Farnborough Air Show, with the stated goal of 15 % lower operating costs than the 747 - 400. Airbus organised four teams of designers, one from each of its partners ( Aérospatiale, British Aerospace, Deutsche Aerospace AG, CASA ) to propose new technologies for its future aircraft designs. The designs were presented in 1992 and the most competitive designs were used. In January 1993, Boeing and several companies in the Airbus consortium started a joint feasibility study of a Very Large Commercial Transport ( VLCT ), aiming to form a partnership to share the limited market. This joint study was abandoned two years later, Boeing 's interest having declined because analysts thought that such a product was unlikely to cover the projected $15 billion development cost. Despite the fact that only two airlines had expressed public interest in purchasing such a plane, Airbus was already pursuing its own large - plane project. Analysts suggested that Boeing would instead pursue stretching its 747 design, and that air travel was already moving away from the hub - and - spoke system that consolidated traffic into large planes, and toward more non-stop routes that could be served by smaller planes. In June 1994, Airbus announced its plan to develop its own very large airliner, designated as A3XX. Airbus considered several designs, including an unusual side - by - side combination of two fuselages from its A340, the largest Airbus jet at the time. The A3XX was pitted against the VLCT study and Boeing 's own New Large Aircraft successor to the 747. From 1997 to 2000, as the East Asian financial crisis darkened the market outlook, Airbus refined its design, targeting a 15 -- 20 % reduction in operating costs over the existing Boeing 747 -- 400. The A3XX design converged on a double - decker layout that provided more passenger volume than a traditional single - deck design, in line with traditional hub - and - spoke theory as opposed to the point - to - point theory with the Boeing 777, after conducting an extensive market analysis with over 200 focus groups. Although early marketing of the huge cross-section touted the possibility of duty - free shops, restaurant - like dining, gyms, casinos and beauty parlours on board, the realities of airline economics have kept such dreams grounded. On 19 December 2000, the supervisory board of newly restructured Airbus voted to launch an € 8.8 - billion programme to build the A3XX, re-christened as the A380, with 50 firm orders from six launch customers. The A380 designation was a break from previous Airbus families, which had progressed sequentially from A300 to A340. It was chosen because the number 8 resembles the double - deck cross section, and is a lucky number in some Asian countries where the aircraft was being marketed. The aircraft configuration was finalised in early 2001, and manufacturing of the first A380 wing - box component started on 23 January 2002. The development cost of the A380 had grown to € 11 -- 14 billion when the first aircraft was completed. Total development cost In 2000, the originally projected development cost was € 9.5 billion. In 2004 Airbus estimated 1.5 billion euros ( $2 billion ) would be added for a € 10.3 Bn ( $12.7 Bn ) total. In 2006 at € 10.2 Billion, Airbus stopped publishing its reported cost and then provisioned € 4.9 Bn after the difficulties in electric cabling and two years delay for an estimated total of € 18 Bn. In 2014, the aircraft was estimated to have cost $25 bn ( £ 16bn -- € 18.9 bn ) to develop. In 2015, Airbus said development costs were € 15bn ( £ 11.4 bn -- $16.95 Bn ), though analysts believe the figure is likely to be at least € 5bn ( $5.65 Bn ) more for a € 20 Bn ( $22.6 Bn ) total. In 2016, The A380 development costs were estimated at $25 billion for 15 years, $25 -- 30 billion, or 25 billion euros ( $28 billion ). Production Geographical logistics sequence for the A380, with final assembly in Toulouse Major structural sections of the A380 are built in France, Germany, Spain, and the United Kingdom. Due to the sections ' large size, traditional transportation methods proved unfeasible, so they are brought to the Jean - Luc Lagardère Plant assembly hall in Toulouse, France, by specialised road and water transportation, though some parts are moved by the A300 - 600ST Beluga transport aircraft. A380 components are provided by suppliers from around the world ; the four largest contributors, by value, are Rolls - Royce, Safran, United Technologies and General Electric. For the surface movement of large A380 structural components, a complex route known as the Itinéraire à Grand Gabarit was developed. This involved the construction of a fleet of roll - on / roll - off ( RORO ) ships and barges, the construction of port facilities and the development of new and modified roads to accommodate oversized road convoys. The front and rear fuselage sections are shipped on one of three RORO ships from Hamburg in northern Germany to the United Kingdom. The wings are manufactured at Broughton in North Wales, then transported by barge to Mostyn docks for ship transport. A380 components on a barge In Saint - Nazaire in western France, the ship exchanges the fuselage sections from Hamburg for larger, assembled sections, some of which include the nose. The ship unloads in Bordeaux. The ship then picks up the belly and tail sections from Construcciones Aeronáuticas SA in Cádiz in southern Spain, and delivers them to Bordeaux. From there, the A380 parts are transported by barge to Langon, and by oversize road convoys to the assembly hall in Toulouse. In order to avoid damage from direct handling, parts are secured in custom jigs carried on self - powered wheeled vehicles. After assembly, the aircraft are flown to Hamburg Finkenwerder Airport ( XFW ) to be furnished and painted. Airbus sized the production facilities and supply chain for a production rate of four A380s per month. Testing The first completed A380 at the `` A380 Reveal '' event in Toulouse, France, 18 January 2005 A380 prototype on its maiden flight Five A380s were built for testing and demonstration purposes. The first A380, registered F - WWOW, was unveiled in Toulouse 18 January 2005. It first flew on 27 April 2005. This plane, equipped with Rolls - Royce Trent 900 engines, flew from Toulouse Blagnac International Airport with a crew of six headed by chief test pilot Jacques Rosay. Rosay said flying the A380 had been `` like handling a bicycle ''. On 1 December 2005, the A380 achieved its maximum design speed of Mach 0.96, ( its design cruise speed is Mach 0.85 ) in a shallow dive. In 2006, the A380 flew its first high - altitude test at Bole International Airport, Addis Ababa. It conducted its second high - altitude test at the same airport in 2009. On 10 January 2006, it flew to José María Córdova International Airport in Colombia, accomplishing the transatlantic testing, and then it went to El Dorado International Airport to test the engine operation in high - altitude airports. It arrived in North America on 6 February 2006, landing in Iqaluit, Nunavut in Canada for cold - weather testing. Flight test engineer 's station on the lower deck of A380 F - WWOW On 14 February 2006, during the destructive wing strength certification test on MSN5000, the test wing of the A380 failed at 145 % of the limit load, short of the required 150 % level. Airbus announced modifications adding 30 kg ( 66 lb ) to the wing to provide the required strength. On 26 March 2006, the A380 underwent evacuation certification in Hamburg. With 8 of the 16 exits arbitrarily blocked, 853 mixed passengers and 20 crew exited the darkened aircraft in 78 seconds, less than the 90 seconds required for certification. Three days later, the A380 received European Aviation Safety Agency ( EASA ) and United States Federal Aviation Administration ( FAA ) approval to carry up to 853 passengers. The first A380 using GP7200 engines -- serial number MSN009 and registration F - WWEA -- flew on 25 August 2006. On 4 September 2006, the first full passenger - carrying flight test took place. The aircraft flew from Toulouse with 474 Airbus employees on board, in a test of passenger facilities and comfort. In November 2006, a further series of route - proving flights demonstrated the aircraft 's performance for 150 flight hours under typical airline operating conditions. As of 2014, the A380 test aircraft continue to perform test procedures. Airbus obtained type certificates for the A380 - 841 and A380 - 842 model from the EASA and FAA on 12 December 2006 in a joint ceremony at the company 's French headquarters, receiving the ICAO code A388. The A380 - 861 model obtained its type certificate on 14 December 2007. Production and delivery delays Naked cabin for flight tests with water tanks ballast Initial production of the A380 was troubled by delays attributed to the 530 km ( 330 mi ) of wiring in each aircraft. Airbus cited as underlying causes the complexity of the cabin wiring ( 98,000 wires and 40,000 connectors ), its concurrent design and production, the high degree of customisation for each airline, and failures of configuration management and change control. The German and Spanish Airbus facilities continued to use CATIA version 4, while British and French sites migrated to version 5. This caused overall configuration management problems, at least in part because wire harnesses manufactured using aluminium rather than copper conductors necessitated special design rules including non-standard dimensions and bend radii ; these were not easily transferred between versions of the software. Airbus announced the first delay in June 2005 and notified airlines that deliveries would be delayed by six months. This reduced the total number of planned deliveries by the end of 2009 from about 120 to 90 -- 100. On 13 June 2006, Airbus announced a second delay, with the delivery schedule slipping an additional six to seven months. Although the first delivery was still planned before the end of 2006, deliveries in 2007 would drop to only 9 aircraft, and deliveries by the end of 2009 would be cut to 70 -- 80 aircraft. The announcement caused a 26 % drop in the share price of Airbus ' parent, EADS, and led to the departure of EADS CEO Noël Forgeard, Airbus CEO Gustav Humbert, and A380 programme manager Charles Champion. On 3 October 2006, upon completion of a review of the A380 programme, Airbus CEO Christian Streiff announced a third delay, pushing the first delivery to October 2007, to be followed by 13 deliveries in 2008, 25 in 2009, and the full production rate of 45 aircraft per year in 2010. The delay also increased the earnings shortfall projected by Airbus through 2010 to € 4.8 billion. As Airbus prioritised the work on the A380 - 800 over the A380F, freighter orders were cancelled by FedEx and United Parcel Service, or converted to A380 - 800 by Emirates and ILFC. Airbus suspended work on the freighter version, but said it remained on offer, albeit without a service entry date. For the passenger version Airbus negotiated a revised delivery schedule and compensation with the 13 customers, all of which retained their orders with some placing subsequent orders, including Emirates, Singapore Airlines, Qantas, Air France, Qatar Airways, and Korean Air. Beginning in 2007 the A380 was considered as a potential replacement for the existing Boeing VC - 25 serving as Air Force One presidential transport, but in January 2009 EADS declared that they were not going to bid for the contract, as assembling only three planes in the US would not make financial sense. On 13 May 2008, Airbus announced reduced deliveries for the years 2008 ( 12 ) and 2009 ( 21 ). After further manufacturing setbacks, Airbus announced its plan to deliver 14 A380s in 2009, down from the previously revised target of 18. A total of 10 A380s were delivered in 2009. In 2010 Airbus delivered 18 of the expected 20 A380s, due to Rolls - Royce engine availability problems. Airbus planned to deliver `` between 20 and 25 '' A380s in 2011 before ramping up to three a month in 2012. In fact, Airbus delivered 26 units, thus outdoing its predicted output for the first time. As of July 2012, production was 3 aircraft per month. Among the production problems are challenging interiors, interiors being installed sequentially rather than concurrently as in smaller planes, and union / government objections to streamlining. At the July 2016 Farnborough Airshow Airbus announced that in a `` prudent, proactive step, '' starting in 2018 it expects to deliver 12 A380 aircraft per year, down from 27 deliveries in 2015. The firm also warned production might slip back into red ink on each aircraft produced at that time, though it anticipates production will remain in the black for 2016 and 2017. `` The company will continue to improve the efficiency of its industrial system to achieve breakeven at 20 aircraft in 2017 and targets additional cost reduction initiatives to lower breakeven further. '' Airbus expects that healthy demand for its other aircraft would allow it to avoid job losses from the cuts. As Airbus expects to build 15 airliners in 2017 and 12 in 2018, Airbus Commercial Aircraft president Fabrice Brégier said without orders in 2017 production should be reduced below one per month while remaining profitable per unit and have the program continue for 20 to 30 years. Within its 2017 half - year report, Airbus adjusted 2019 deliveries to eight aircraft. Entry into service A Singapore Airlines A380 at Zürich Airport Nicknamed Superjumbo, the first A380, MSN003 ( registered as 9V - SKA ), was delivered to Singapore Airlines on 15 October 2007 and entered service on 25 October 2007 with flight number SQ380 between Singapore and Sydney. Passengers bought seats in a charity online auction paying between $560 and $100,380. Two months later, Singapore Airlines CEO Chew Choong Seng stated the A380 was performing better than either the airline and Airbus had anticipated, burning 20 % less fuel per seat - mile than the airline 's 747 -- 400 fleet. Emirates ' Tim Clark claimed that the A380 has better fuel economy at Mach 0.86 than at 0.83, and that its technical dispatch reliability is at 97 %, same as Singapore Airlines. Airbus is committed to reach the industry standard of 98.5 %. Emirates was the second airline to receive the A380 and commenced service between Dubai and New York in August 2008. Qantas followed, with flights between Melbourne and Los Angeles in October 2008. By the end of 2008, 890,000 passengers had flown on 2,200 flights. An Air France A380 on approach to Washington Dulles International Airport In February 2009, the one millionth passenger was flown with Singapore Airlines and by May of that year 1,500,000 passengers had flown on 4,200 flights. Air France received its first A380 in October 2009. Lufthansa received its first A380 in May 2010. By July 2010, the 31 A380s then in service had transported 6 million passengers on 17,000 flights between 20 international destinations. Airbus delivered the 100th A380 on 14 March 2013 to Malaysia Airlines. In June 2014, over 65 million passengers had flown the A380, and more than 100 million passengers ( averaging 375 per flight ) by September 2015, with an availability of 98.5 %. In 2014, Emirates stated that their A380 fleet had load factors of 90 -- 100 %, and that the popularity of the aircraft with its passengers had not decreased in the past year. Improvements and upgrades In 2010, Airbus announced a new A380 build standard, incorporating a strengthened airframe structure and a 1.5 ° increase in wing twist. Airbus will also offer, as an option, an improved maximum take - off weight, thus providing a better payload / range performance. Maximum take - off weight is increased by 4 t ( 8,800 lb ), to 573 t ( 1,263,000 lb ) and the range is extended by 100 nautical miles ( 190 km ) ; this is achieved by reducing flight loads, partly from optimising the fly - by - wire control laws. British Airways and Emirates are the first two customers to have received this new option in 2013. Emirates has asked for an update with new engines for the A380 to be competitive with the 777X around 2020, and Airbus is studying 11 - abreast seating. In 2012, Airbus announced another increase in the A380 's maximum take - off weight to 575 t ( 1,268,000 lb ), a 6 t increase from the initial A380 variant and 2 t higher than the increased - weight proposal of 2010. Its range will increase by some 150 nautical miles ( 280 km ), taking its capability to around 8,350 nautical miles ( 15,460 km ) at current payloads. The higher - weight version was offered for introduction to service early in 2013. Post-delivery Issues During repairs following the Qantas Flight 32 engine failure incident, cracks were discovered in wing fittings. As a result, the European Aviation Safety Agency issued an Airworthiness Directive in January 2012 which affected 20 A380 aircraft that had accumulated over 1,300 flights. A380s with under 1,800 flight hours were to be inspected within 6 weeks or 84 flights ; aircraft with over 1,800 flight hours were to be examined within four days or 14 flights. Fittings found to be cracked were replaced. On 8 February 2012, the checks were extended to cover all 68 A380 aircraft in operation. The problem is considered to be minor and is not expected to affect operations. EADS acknowledged that the cost of repairs would be over $130 million, to be borne by Airbus. The company said the problem was traced to stress and material used for the fittings. Additionally, major airlines are seeking compensation from Airbus for revenue lost as a result of the cracks and subsequent grounding of fleets. Airbus has switched to a different type of aluminium alloy so aircraft delivered from 2014 onwards should not have this issue. Airbus is changing about 10 % of all doors, as some leak during flight. One occurrence resulted in dropped oxygen masks and an emergency landing. The switch is expected to cost over € 100 million. Airbus states that safety is sufficient, as the air pressure pushes the door into the frame. Design Overview The A380 cabin cross-section, showing economy - class seating in green The A380 was initially offered in two models, the A380 - 800 and the A380F. The A380 - 800 's original configuration carried 555 passengers in a three - class configuration or 853 passengers ( 538 on the main deck and 315 on the upper deck ) in a single - class economy configuration. Then in May 2007, Airbus began marketing a configuration with 30 fewer passengers ( 525 total in three classes ) -- traded for 200 nmi ( 370 km ) more range -- to better reflect trends in premium - class accommodation. The design range for the − 800 model is 8,500 nmi ( 15,700 km ) ; capable of flying from Hong Kong to New York or from Sydney to Istanbul non-stop. The second model, the A380F freighter, would carry 150 tonnes of cargo with a range of 5,600 nmi ( 10,400 km ). The freighter development was put on hold as Airbus prioritised the passenger version and all cargo orders were cancelled. Future variants may include an A380 - 900 stretch, seating about 656 passengers ( or up to 960 passengers in an all - economy configuration ), and an extended - range version with the same passenger capacity as the A380 - 800. Engines Engine Alliance GP7200 engine waiting for installation The A380 is available with two types of turbofan engines, the Rolls - Royce Trent 900 ( variants A380 - 841, − 842 and − 843F ) or the Engine Alliance GP7000 ( A380 - 861 and − 863F ). The Trent 900 is a derivative of the Trent 800, and the GP7000 has roots from the GE90 and PW4000. The Trent 900 core is a scaled version of the Trent 500, but incorporates the swept fan technology of the stillborn Trent 8104. The GP7200 has a GE90 - derived core and PW4090 - derived fan and low - pressure turbo - machinery. Noise reduction was an important requirement in the A380 design, and particularly affects engine design. Both engine types allow the aircraft to achieve well under the QC / 2 departure and QC / 0.5 arrival noise limits under the Quota Count system set by Heathrow Airport, which is a key destination for the A380. The A380 has received an award for its reduced noise. However, field measurements suggest the approach quota allocation for the A380 may be overly generous compared to the older Boeing 747, but still quieter. Rolls - Royce is supporting CAA in understanding the relatively high A380 / Trent 900 monitored noise levels. The A380 was initially planned without thrust reversers, incorporating sufficient braking capacity to do without them. However Airbus elected to equip the two inboard engines with thrust reversers in a late stage of development, helping the brakes when the runway is slippery. The two outboard engines do not have reversers, reducing the amount of debris stirred up during landing. The A380 has electrically actuated thrust reversers, giving them better reliability than their pneumatic or hydraulic equivalents, in addition to saving weight. In 2008, the A380 demonstrated the viability of a synthetic fuel comprising standard jet fuel with a natural - gas - derived component. On 1 February 2008, a three - hour test flight operated between Britain and France, with one of the A380 's four engines using a mix of 60 % standard jet kerosene and 40 % gas to liquids ( GTL ) fuel supplied by Shell. The aircraft needed no modifications for the GTL fuel, which was designed to be mixed with normal jet fuel. Sebastien Remy, head of Airbus SAS 's alternative fuel programme, said the GTL used was no cleaner in CO terms than standard fuel but contains no sulphur, generating air quality benefits. The auxiliary power comprises the Auxiliary Power Unit ( APU ), the electronic control box ( ECB ), and mounting hardware. The APU in use on the A380 is the PW 980A APU. The APU primarily provides air to power the Analysis Ground Station ( AGS ) on the ground and to start the engines. The AGS is a semi-automatic analysis system of flight data that helps to optimise management of maintenance and reduce costs. The APU also powers electric generators which provide auxiliary electric power to the aircraft. Wings Planform view showing moderate wing aspect ratio Composite photo of a structural loading test on the left wing box The A380 's wing is sized for a maximum takeoff weight ( MTOW ) over 650 tonnes to accommodate these future versions, albeit with some internal strengthening required on the A380F freighter. The optimal wingspan for this weight is about 90 m ( 300 ft ), but airport restrictions limited it to less than 80 m ( 260 ft ), lowering aspect ratio to 7.8 which reduces fuel efficiency about 10 % and increases operating costs a few percent, given that fuel costs constitute about 50 % of the cost of long - haul airplane operation. The common wing design approach sacrifices fuel efficiency on the A380 - 800 passenger model because of its weight but Airbus estimates that the aircraft 's size and advanced technology will provide lower operating costs per passenger than the 747 - 400. The wings incorporate wingtip fences that extend above and below the wing surface, similar to those on the A310 and A320. These increase fuel efficiency and range by reducing induced drag. The wingtip fences also reduce wake turbulence, which endangers following aircraft and could, theoretically, damage house roofs. Materials While most of the fuselage is made of aluminium alloys, composite materials comprise more than 20 % of the A380 's airframe. Carbon - fibre reinforced plastic, glass - fibre reinforced plastic and quartz - fibre reinforced plastic are used extensively in wings, fuselage sections ( such as the undercarriage and rear end of fuselage ), tail surfaces, and doors. The A380 is the first commercial airliner to have a central wing box made of carbon fibre reinforced plastic. It is also the first to have a smoothly contoured wing cross section. The wings of other commercial airliners are partitioned span-wise into sections. This flowing continuous cross section reduces aerodynamic drag. Thermoplastics are used in the leading edges of the slats. The hybrid fibre metal laminate material GLARE ( glass laminate aluminium reinforced epoxy ) is used in the upper fuselage and on the stabilisers ' leading edges. This aluminium - glass - fibre laminate is lighter and has better corrosion and impact resistance than conventional aluminium alloys used in aviation. Unlike earlier composite materials, GLARE can be repaired using conventional aluminium repair techniques. The application of GLARE on the A380 has a long history, which shows the complex nature of innovations in the aircraft industry. Newer weldable aluminium alloys are used in the A380 's airframe. This enables the widespread use of laser beam welding manufacturing techniques, eliminating rows of rivets and resulting in a lighter, stronger structure. High - strength aluminium ( type 7449 ) reinforced with carbon fibre was used in the wing brackets of the first 120 A380s to reduce weight, but cracks have been discovered and new sets of the more critical brackets will be made of standard aluminium 7010, increasing weight by 90 kg ( 198 lb ). Repair costs for earlier aircraft are expected to be around € 500 million ( US $629 million ). It takes 3,600 L ( 950 US gal ) of paint to cover the 3,100 m ( 33,000 sq ft ) exterior of an A380. The paint is five layers thick and weighs about 650 kg ( 1,433 lb ). Avionics The A380 employs an integrated modular avionics ( IMA ) architecture, first used in advanced military aircraft, such as the Lockheed Martin F - 22 Raptor, Lockheed Martin F - 35 Lightning II, and Dassault Rafale. The main IMA systems on the A380 were developed by the Thales Group. Designed and developed by Airbus, Thales and Diehl Aerospace, the IMA suite was first used on the A380. The suite is a technological innovation, with networked computing modules to support different applications. The data networks use Avionics Full - Duplex Switched Ethernet, an implementation of ARINC 664. These are switched, full - duplex, star - topology and based on 100baseTX fast - Ethernet. This reduces the amount of wiring required and minimises latency. A380 flight deck Airbus used similar cockpit layout, procedures and handling characteristics to other Airbus aircraft, reducing crew training costs. The A380 has an improved glass cockpit, using fly - by - wire flight controls linked to side - sticks. The cockpit has eight 15 by 20 cm ( 5.9 by 7.9 in ) liquid crystal displays, all physically identical and interchangeable ; comprising two primary flight displays, two navigation displays, one engine parameter display, one system display and two multi-function displays. The MFDs were introduced on the A380 to provide an easy - to - use interface to the flight management system -- replacing three multifunction control and display units. They include QWERTY keyboards and trackballs, interfacing with a graphical `` point - and - click '' display system. The Network Systems Server ( NSS ) is the heart of A380 's paperless cockpit ; it eliminates bulky manuals and charts traditionally used. The NSS has enough inbuilt robustness to eliminate onboard backup paper documents. The A380 's network and server system stores data and offers electronic documentation, providing a required equipment list, navigation charts, performance calculations, and an aircraft logbook. This is accessed through the MFDs and controlled via the keyboard interface. Power - by - wire flight control actuators have been used for the first time in civil aviation to back up primary hydraulic actuators. Also, during certain manoeuvres they augment the primary actuators. They have self - contained hydraulic and electrical power supplies. Electro - hydrostatic actuators ( EHA ) are used in the aileron and elevator, electric and hydraulic motors to drive the slats as well as electrical backup hydrostatic actuators ( EBHA ) for the rudder and some spoilers. The A380 's 350 bar ( 35 MPa or 5,000 psi ) hydraulic system is a significant difference from the typical 210 bar ( 21 MPa or 3,000 psi ) hydraulics used on most commercial aircraft since the 1940s. First used in military aircraft, high - pressure hydraulics reduce the weight and size of pipelines, actuators and related components. The 350 bar pressure is generated by eight de-clutchable hydraulic pumps. The hydraulic lines are typically made from titanium ; the system features both fuel - and air - cooled heat exchangers. Self - contained electrically powered hydraulic power packs serve as backups for the primary systems, instead of a secondary hydraulic system, saving weight and reducing maintenance. The A380 uses four 150 kVA variable - frequency electrical generators, eliminating constant - speed drives and improving reliability. The A380 uses aluminium power cables instead of copper for weight reduction. The electrical power system is fully computerised and many contactors and breakers have been replaced by solid - state devices for better performance and increased reliability. Passenger provisions Main article : Seat configurations of Airbus A380 10 across Economy class seating Emirates Business class The cabin has features to reduce traveller fatigue such as a quieter interior and higher pressurisation than previous generations of aircraft ; the A380 is pressurised to the equivalent altitude of 1,520 m ( 5,000 ft ) up to 12,000 m ( 39,000 ft ). It has 50 % less cabin noise, 50 % more cabin area and volume, larger windows, bigger overhead bins, and 60 cm ( 2.0 ft ) extra headroom versus the 747 - 400. Seating options range from 3 - room 12 m ( 130 sq ft ) `` residence '' in first class to 11 - across in economy. On other aircraft, economy seats range from 41.5 to 52.3 cm ( 16.3 to 20.6 in ) in width, A380 economy seats are up to 48 cm ( 19 in ) wide in a 10 - abreast configuration ; compared with the 10 - abreast configuration on the 747 - 400 which typically has seats 44.5 cm ( 17.5 in ) wide. The A380 's upper and lower decks are connected by two stairways, fore and aft, wide enough to accommodate two passengers side - by - side ; this cabin arrangement allows multiple seat configurations. The maximum certified carrying capacity is 853 passengers in an all - economy - class layout, Airbus lists the `` typical '' three - class layout as accommodating 525 passengers, with 10 first, 76 business, and 439 economy class seats. Airline configurations range from Korean Air 's 407 passengers to Emirates ' two - class 615 seats for Copenhagen, and average around 480 -- 490 seats. The Air Austral 's proposed 840 passenger layout has not come to fruition. The A380 's interior illumination system uses bulbless LEDs in the cabin, cockpit, and cargo decks. The LEDs in the cabin can be altered to create an ambience simulating daylight, night, or intermediate levels. On the outside of the aircraft, HID lighting is used for brighter illumination. Airbus 's publicity has stressed the comfort and space of the A380 cabin, and advertised onboard relaxation areas such as bars, beauty salons, duty - free shops, and restaurants. Proposed amenities resembled those installed on earlier airliners, particularly 1970s wide - body jets, which largely gave way to regular seats for more passenger capacity. Airbus has acknowledged that some cabin proposals were unlikely to be installed, and that it was ultimately the airlines ' decision how to configure the interior. Industry analysts suggested that implementing customisation has slowed the production speeds, and raised costs. Due to delivery delays, Singapore Airlines and Air France debuted their seat designs on different aircraft prior to the A380. Bar on an Emirates A380 Emirates first class shower Initial operators typically configured their A380s for three - class service, while adding extra features for passengers in premium cabins. Launch customer Singapore Airlines introduced partly enclosed first class suites on its A380s in 2007, each featuring a leather seat with a separate bed ; center suites could be joined to create a double bed. A year later, Qantas debuted a new first class seat - bed and a sofa lounge at the front of the upper deck on its A380s, and in 2009 Air France unveiled an upper deck electronic art gallery. In late 2008, Emirates introduced `` shower spas '' in first class on its A380s allowing each first class passenger five minutes of hot water, drawing on 2.5 tonnes of water although only 60 % of it was used. Emirates, Etihad Airways and Qatar Airways also have a bar lounge and seating area on the upper deck, while Etihad has enclosed areas for two people each. In addition to lounge areas, some A380 operators have installed amenities consistent with other aircraft in their respective fleets, including self - serve snack bars, premium economy sections, and redesigned business class seating. The Hamburg Aircraft Interiors Expo in April 2015 saw the presentation of an 11 - seat row economy cabin for the A380. Airbus is reacting to a changing economy ; the recession which began in 2008 saw a drop in market percentage of first class and business seats to six percent and an increase in budget economy travelers. Among other causes is the reluctance of employers to pay for executives to travel in First or Business Class. Airbus ' chief of cabin marketing, Ingo Wuggestzer, told Aviation Week and Space Technology that the standard three class cabin no longer reflected market conditions. The 11 seat row on the A380 is accompanied by similar options on other widebodies : nine across on the Airbus A330 and ten across on the A350. Integration with infrastructure and regulations Ground operations Aircraft ground handling with separate jetways for the main and upper deck, and ground support equipment In the 1990s, aircraft manufacturers were planning to introduce larger planes than the Boeing 747. In a common effort of the International Civil Aviation Organization ( ICAO ) with manufacturers, airports and its member agencies, the `` 80 - metre box '' was created, the airport gates allowing planes up to 80 m ( 260 ft ) wingspan and length to be accommodated. Airbus designed the A380 according to these guidelines, and to operate safely on Group V runways and taxiways with a 60 metres ( 200 ft ) loadbearing width. The US FAA initially opposed this, then in July 2007, the FAA and EASA agreed to let the A380 operate on 45 m ( 148 ft ) runways without restrictions. The A380 - 800 is approximately 30 % larger in overall size than the 747 - 400. Runway lighting and signage may need changes to provide clearance to the wings and avoid blast damage from the engines. Runways, runway shoulders and taxiway shoulders may be required to be stabilised to reduce the likelihood of foreign object damage caused to ( or by ) the outboard engines, which are more than 25 m ( 82 ft ) from the centre line of the aircraft, compared to 21 m ( 69 ft ) for the 747 -- 400, and 747 -- 8. A380 20 - wheel main landing gear Airbus measured pavement loads using a 540 - tonne ( 595 short tons ) ballasted test rig, designed to replicate the landing gear of the A380. The rig was towed over a section of pavement at Airbus ' facilities that had been instrumented with embedded load sensors. It was determined that the pavement of most runways will not need to be reinforced despite the higher weight, as it is distributed on more wheels than in other passenger aircraft with a total of 22 wheels ( that is, its ground pressure is lower ). The A380 undercarriage consists of four main landing gear legs and one noseleg ( a similar layout to the 747 ), with the two inboard landing gear legs each supporting six wheels. The A380 requires service vehicles with lifts capable of reaching the upper deck, as well as tractors capable of handling the A380 's maximum ramp weight. When using two jetway bridges the boarding time is 45 min, and when using an extra jetway to the upper deck it is reduced to 34 min. The A380 has an airport turnaround time of 90 -- 110 minutes. In 2008 the A380 test aircraft were used to trial the modifications made to several airports to accommodate the type. Takeoff and landing separation Wingtip vortex left behind In 2005, the ICAO recommended that provisional separation criteria for the A380 on takeoff and landing be substantially greater than for the 747 because preliminary flight test data suggested a stronger wake turbulence. These criteria were in effect while the ICAO 's wake vortex steering group, with representatives from the JAA, Eurocontrol, the FAA, and Airbus, refined its 3 - year study of the issue with additional flight testing. In September 2006, the working group presented its first conclusions to the ICAO. In November 2006, the ICAO issued new interim recommendations. Replacing a blanket 10 nautical miles ( 19 km ) separation for aircraft trailing an A380 during approach, the new distances were 6 nmi ( 11 km ), 8 nmi ( 15 km ) and 10 nmi ( 19 km ) respectively for non-A380 `` Heavy '', `` Medium '', and `` Light '' ICAO aircraft categories. These compared with the 4 nmi ( 7.4 km ), 5 nmi ( 9.3 km ) and 6 nmi ( 11 km ) spacing applicable to other `` Heavy '' aircraft. Another A380 following an A380 should maintain a separation of 4 nmi ( 7.4 km ). On departure behind an A380, non-A380 `` Heavy '' aircraft are required to wait two minutes, and `` Medium '' / `` Light '' aircraft three minutes for time based operations. The ICAO also recommends that pilots append the term `` Super '' to the aircraft 's callsign when initiating communication with air traffic control, to distinguish the A380 from `` Heavy '' aircraft. In August 2008, the ICAO issued revised approach separations of 4 nmi ( 7.4 km ) for Super ( another A380 ), 6 nmi ( 11 km ) for Heavy, 7 nmi ( 13 km ) for medium / small, and 8 nmi ( 15 km ) for light. In November 2008, an incident on a parallel runway during crosswinds made the Australian authorities change procedures for those conditions. Singapore Airlines describe the A380 's landing speed of 130 -- 135 kn ( 240 -- 250 km / h ) as `` impressively slow ''. Maintenance As the A380 fleet grows older, airworthiness authority rules require certain scheduled inspections from approved aircraft tool shops. The increasing fleet size ( to about 286 in 2020 ) cause expected maintenance and modification to cost $6.8 billion for 2015 -- 2020, of which $2.1 billion are for engines. Emirates performed its first 3C - check for 55 days in 2014. During lengthy shop stays, some airlines will use the opportunity to install new interiors. Variants Airbus A380 at MAKS 2011, Russia A380F Airbus originally accepted orders for the freighter variant, offering the largest payload capacity of any cargo aircraft in production, exceeded only by the single Antonov An - 225 Mriya in service. An aerospace consultant has estimated that the A380F would have 7 % better payload and better range than the Boeing 747 - 8F, but also higher trip costs. However, production was suspended until the A380 production lines have settled with no firm availability date. In 2015, Airbus removed A380F from the range of freighters on its corporate website. The maximum payload would have been 150 t ( 330,000 lb ), with a 5,600 nmi ( 10,400 km ) range. On 9 July 2015, Business Insider reported that Airbus had filed a patent application for an A380 `` combi '' which would offer the flexibility of carrying both passengers and cargo, along with being rapidly reconfigurable to expand or contract the cargo area and passenger area as needed for a given flight. A380 - 900 In November 2007, Airbus top sales executive and chief operating officer John Leahy confirmed plans for an enlarged variant, the A380 - 900, with more seating space than the A380 - 800. This would have a seating capacity for 650 passengers in standard configuration, and approximately 900 passengers in an economy - only configuration. Airlines that had expressed an interest in the − 900 included Emirates, Virgin Atlantic, Cathay Pacific, Air France, KLM, Lufthansa, Kingfisher Airlines, and leasing company ILFC. In May 2010, Airbus announced that A380 - 900 development was postponed, until production of the A380 - 800 stabilises. On 11 December 2014 at the annual Airbus Investor Day forum Airbus CEO controversially announced that `` We will one day launch an A380neo and one day launch a stretched A380 '' following speculation sparked by Airbus CFO Harald Wilhelm stating that Airbus could axe the A380 ahead of its time due to softening demand. On 15 June 2015, John Leahy, Airbus 's chief operating officer for customers, stated Airbus was looking at the A380 - 900 programme again. Airbus 's newest concept is a stretch of the A380 - 800 offering 50 seats more, not 100 as originally envisaged. The stretch would be tied to a potential re-engining of the A380 - 800. According to Flight Global, an A380 - 900 would make better use of the A380 's existing wing. A380neo On 15 June 2015, Reuters reported that Airbus was discussing a stretched version of the A380 with a half dozen customers. This aircraft, which could also feature new engines, would accommodate an additional fifty passengers. Deliveries to customers were planned for sometime in 2020 or 2021. On 19 July 2015, Airbus CEO Fabrice Brégier stated that the company will build a new version of the A380 featuring new improved wings and new engines. Speculation about the development of a so - called A380neo ( neo for new engine option ) had been going on for a few months after earlier press releases in 2014, and in 2015 the company was considering whether to end production of the type prior to 2018 or develop a new A380 variant. Later it was revealed that Airbus was looking at both the possibility of a longer A380 in line of the previously planned A380 - 900 and a new engine version, i.e. A380neo. Brégier also revealed that the new variant would be ready to enter service by 2020. The engine would most likely be one of a variety of all - new options from Rolls - Royce, ranging from derivatives of the A350 's XWB - 84 / 97 to the future Advance project due at around 2020. On 3 June 2016, Emirates President Tim Clark stated that talks between Emirates and Airbus on the A380neo have `` lapsed ''. On 12 June 2017, Fabrice Brégier confirmed that Airbus will not launch an A380neo, stating ``... there is no business case to do that, this is absolutely clear. '' However, Brégier stated it wo n't stop Airbus from looking at what could be done to improve the performance of the aircraft. One such proposal is a 32 ft ( 9.8 m ) wingspan extension to reduce drag and increase fuel efficiency by 4 %, though further is seen the aircraft with new Sharklets. A380plus The A380plus winglet mockup Launched at the June 2017 Paris Air Show, Airbus offers an A380plus enhanced version with 13 % lower costs per seat, featuring up to 80 more seats through better use of cabin space, split scimitar winglets and wing refinements allowing a 4 % fuel economy improvement and longer aircraft maintenance intervals with less downtime. Its maximum takeoff weight is increased by 3 t ( 6,600 lb ) to 578 t ( 1,274,000 lb ), allowing it to carry more passengers over the same 8,200 nmi range or increase the range by 300 nm. Emirates could order 20 aircraft at the November Dubai Air Show. The upgrade will be available from 2020. Winglet mockups, 4.7 m ( 151⁄2ft ) high, were displayed on the MSN04 test aircraft at Le Bourget. Wing twist will be modified and camber changed by increasing its height by 33 mm ( 1.3 in ) between Rib 10 and Rib 30, along with upper - belly fairing improvements. The in - flight entertainment, the flight management system and the fuel pumps will come from the A350 to reduce weight and improve reliability and fuel economy. Light checks will be required after 1,000 hr instead of 750 hr and heavy check downtime will be reduced to keep the aircraft flying for six days more per year. Market Singapore Airlines, Qantas, and Emirates Airbus A380s parked at London Heathrow. Size In its 2000 Global Market Forecast, Airbus estimated the demand for 1,235 passenger Very Large Aircraft ( VLA ), with more than 400 seats : 360 up to 2009 and 875 by 2019. The market is estimated for two decades at more than 1,700 by Airbus and 700 by Boeing since 1999 - 2000, including freighters. In 2006, industry analysts Philip Lawrence of the Aerospace Research Centre in Bristol anticipated 880 sales by 2025 with Airbus having conducted the most extensive and thorough market analysis of commercial aviation ever undertaken, justifying its VLA plans to design the A380 by the spoke - hub distribution paradigm while Richard Aboulafia of the consulting Teal Group in Fairfax, Virginia anticipated 400 with the rise of mid-size aircraft and market fragmentation reducing them to niche markets, making such plans unjustified in a point - to - point transit model. In 2007, Airbus estimated a demand for 1,283 VLA in the following 20 years if airport congestion remains constant, up to 1,771 VLAs if congestion increases, with most deliveries ( 56 % ) in Asia - Pacific, and 415 very large, 120 - tonne plus freighters. For the same period, Boeing was estimating the demand for 590 large ( B747 or A380 ) passenger airliners and 630 freighters. Frequency and capacity Cathay Pacific or Singapore Airlines need to balance frequency and capacity. China Southern struggled two years to use its A380s from Beijing and finally received Boeing 787s in Guangzhou where it is based, which ca n't command a premium unlike Beijing or Shanghai. In 2013, Air France withdrew A380 services to Singapore and Montreal and switched to smaller aircraft. In 2014, British Airways replaced three 777 flights between London and Los Angeles with two A380 per day. Emirates ' Tim Clark sees a large potential for Asian A380 - users, and criticised Airbus ' marketing efforts. As business travelers prefers more choices offered by more frequencies, flying a route multiple times on smaller aircraft rather than once on a large plane, United Airlines observed the A380 `` just does n't really work for us '' as it relies on Boeing 787s operating at a lower trip cost. At the A380 launch, most Europe - Asia and transpacific routes used 747 - 400s at fairly low frequencies, but since then routes proliferated with open skies and most airlines downsized to offer higher frequencies and more routes. The huge capacity offered by each flight erode the yield : North America was viewed as 17 % of the market but it never materialised as a 747 replacement with only fifteen 747s remaining in passenger service in November 2017, for transpacific routes where timezones restrict potential frequency, consolidation changed the networks and US majors constrained capacity and emphasised daily frequencies for business traffic with midsize widebodies like the 787 to extract higher yields, focusing on profits rather than market share leaved to Asian carriers. The 747 was removed of the transatlantic flights by the 767 and of the the transpacific market by the 777 : newer, smaller aircraft with similar seat - mile costs have lower trip costs and allow more direct routes. Cabin densification to lower unit costs could aggravate this overcapacity. Production In 2005, 270 sales were necessary to attain break - even and with 751 expected deliveries its Internal rate of return outlook was at 19 %, but due to disruptions in the ramp - up leading to overcosts and delayed deliveries, it increased to 420 in 2006. In 2010, EADS CFO Hans Peter Ring said that break - even could be achieved by 2015 when 200 deliveries were projected. In 2012, Airbus clarified that the aircraft production costs would be less than its sales price. On 11 December 2014, Airbus chief financial officer Harald Wilhelm hinted the possibility of ending the programme in 2018, disappointing Emirates president Tim Clark. Airbus shares fell down consequently. Airbus responded to the protests by playing down the possibility the A380 would be abandoned, instead emphasising that enhancing the airplane was a likelier scenario. On 22 December, as the jet was about to break even, Airbus CEO Fabrice Brégier ruled out cancelling it. Ten years after its first flight, Brégier said it was `` almost certainly introduced ten years too early ''. While no longer losing money on each plane sold, Airbus admits that the company will never recoup the $25 billion investment it made in the project. Airbus consistently forecast 1,400 VLA demand over 20 - year, still in 2017, and aimed to secure a 50 % share, up to 700 units, but delivered 215 aircraft in 10 years, achieving three produced per month but not the four per month target after the ramp - up to achieve more than 350 and is now declining to 0.5 a month. As Boeing see the VLA market as too small to retain in its 2017 forecast, its VP marketing Randy Tinseth do n't believe Airbus will deliver the rest of the backlog. Richard Aboulafia predicts a 2020 final delivery, with unpleasant losses due to `` hubris, shoddy market analysis, nationalism and simple wishful thinking ''. In 2017, the A380 fleet overtook the passengers B747s, declining from 740 aircraft when the A380 was launched in 2000 to 550 units at the A380 introduction in 2007, and around 200 ten years after while the combined fleet of A380s and 747s passenger jumbos is 430, the market - share battle having shifted to large single - aisles and 300 - seat twin - aisles. Cost As of 2016 the list price of an A380 is US $432.6 million. Negotiated discounts made the actual prices much lower, and industry experts questioned whether the A380 project would ever pay for itself. The first aircraft was sold - and - leased - back by Singapore Airlines in 2007 to Dr. Peters for $197 million. In 2016, IAG 's Willie Walsh said he could add a few but find its price new `` outrageous '' and would source then from the second - hand market. AirInsight estimates its hourly cost at $26,000, or around $50 per seat hour ( for 520 seats ), which compares to $44 per seat hour for a Boeing 777 - 300ER, and $90 per seat hour for a Boeing 747 - 400 as of November 2015. As it has very large wing and tail surfaces to allow a stretch and a high empty weight per seat, its cost - per - seat advantage eroded, and the A350 - 1000 and 777 - 9 will match it. Secondary As of mid-2015, several airlines have expressed their interest in selling their aircraft, partially coinciding with expiring lease contracts for the aircraft. Several A380 which are in service have been offered for lease to other airlines. The suggestion has prompted concerns on the potential for new sales for Airbus, although these were dismissed by Airbus COO John Leahy stated that `` Used A380s do not compete with new A380s '', stating that the second - hand market is more interesting for parties otherwise looking to buy smaller aircraft such as the Boeing 777. After Malaysia Airlines was unable to sell or lease its six A380s, it decided to refurbish the aircraft with seating for 700 and transfer them to a subsidiary carrier for religious pilgrimage flights. As it will receive its six A350s to replace its six A380s starting in December 2017, the new subsidiary will serve the Hajj and Umrah market with them, starting in the third quarter of 2018 and could be expanded above six beyond 2020 to 2022. The cabin will have 36 business seats and 600 economy seats, with a 712 seats reconfiguration possible within five days. The fleet could be chartered half the year for the tourism industry like cruise shipping and will be able to operate for the next 40 years if oil prices stay low. With four leased to Singapore Airlines which will return them between October 2017 and March 2018, Dr. Peters fears a weak aftermarket and considers scrapping them while they are on sale for a business jet conversion, but on the other hand Airbus sees a potential for African airlines and Chinese airlines, Hajj charters and its large Gulf operators. In August 2017, it was announced that Hi Fly would lease 2 used aircraft. The Portuguese ACMI / charter airline will use the aircraft for markets where high capacity is needed and airports where slots are scarce. The first aircraft is scheduled to begin commercial operations during the first quarter of 2018. Orders and deliveries Main article : List of Airbus A380 orders and deliveries Nineteen customers have ordered the A380. Total orders for the A380 stand at 317 as of August 2017. The biggest customer is Emirates, which has ordered or committed to order a total of 142 A380s as of 31 August 2017. One VIP order was made in 2007 but later cancelled by Airbus. The A380F version attracted 27 orders, before they were either cancelled ( 20 ) or converted to A380 - 800 ( 7 ) following the production delay and the subsequent suspension of the freighter program. Delivery takes place in Hamburg for customers from Europe and the Middle East and in Toulouse for customers from the rest of the world. EADS explained that deliveries in 2013 were to be slowed temporarily to accommodate replacement of the wing rib brackets where cracks were detected earlier in the existing fleet. In 2013, in expectation of raising the number of orders placed, Airbus announced ' attractable discounts ' to airlines who placed large orders for the A380. Soon after, at the November 2013 Dubai Air Show where it ordered 150 B777X, Emirates ordered 50 aircraft, totalling $20 billion. In 2014, Airbus said that some ordered A380s might not be built for an undisclosed Japanese airline. Virgin Atlantic has ordered six A380s but is undecided about accepting them. Qantas planned to order eight more airplanes but is in doubt due to a cost - cutting drive. Amedeo, an aircraft lessor that ordered 20 A380s, had not found a client for the airliner as of 2014. As of June 2017, Emirates has 48 orders outstanding but due to lack of space in Dubai Airport, it deferred 12 deliveries by one year and will not take any in 2019 - 20 before replacing its early airliners from 2021 : there are open production slots in 2019 and Airbus reduced its production rate at 12 per year for 2017 - 18. The real backlog is much smaller than the official 107 with 47 uncertain orders : 20 commitments for the A380 - specialized lessor Amedeo which commits to production only once aircraft are placed, eight for Qantas which wants to keep its fleet at 12, six for Virgin Atlantic which does not want them anymore and three ex Transaero for finance vehicle Air Accord. Timeline A380 firm net orders and deliveries view talk 2002 2003 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 Total Net orders A380 - 800 78 -- 34 10 10 24 33 9 32 19 9 42 13 -- - 2 317 A380F 7 10 -- -- 10 - 17 - 10 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- Deliveries A380 - 800 -- -- -- -- -- -- 12 10 18 26 30 25 30 27 28 8 215 Cumulative orders and deliveries Data from Airbus through the end of August 2017. Orders Deliveries Operators There were 215 aircraft in service with 13 operators as of 31 August 2017. Emirates is the largest A380 operator with 97 aircraft in service as of August 2017. Etihad Airways ' first Airbus A380 taking off from London - Heathrow Airport Singapore Airlines first service on 25 October 2007 Emirates first service on 1 August 2008 Qantas first service on 20 October 2008 Air France first service on 20 November 2009 Lufthansa first service on 6 June 2010 Korean Air first service on 17 June 2011 China Southern Airlines first service on 17 October 2011 Malaysia Airlines first service on 1 July 2012 Thai Airways first service on 6 October 2012 British Airways first service on 2 August 2013 Asiana Airlines first service on 13 June 2014 Qatar Airways first service on 10 October 2014 Etihad Airways first service on 27 December 2014 Notable routes The shortest regular commercial route that the A380 flies is from Dubai to Doha ( 379 km or 236 miles ) with Emirates. ( This route has been suspended due to diplomatic relations with Qatar. ) Air France briefly operated the A380 on the shorter Paris Charles de Gaulle to London Heathrow route ( 344 km or 214 miles ) in mid-2010. The longest A380 route -- and the second longest non-stop commercial flight in the world -- is Emirates from Dubai to Auckland at 14,203 kilometres ( 8,825 mi ). Incidents and accidents The A380 has been involved in one aviation occurrence and no hull loss accidents with no fatalities as of June 2017, according to the Aviation Safety Network. On 4 November 2010, Qantas Flight 32, en route from Singapore Changi Airport to Sydney Airport, suffered an uncontained engine failure, resulting in a series of related problems, and forcing the flight to make an emergency landing. The plane safely returned to Singapore. There were no injuries to the passengers, crew or people on the ground despite debris falling onto the Indonesian island of Batam. The A380 was damaged sufficiently for the event to be classified as an accident. Qantas subsequently grounded all of its A380s that day subject to an internal investigation taken in conjunction with the engine manufacturer Rolls - Royce plc. A380s powered by Engine Alliance GP7000 were unaffected but operators of Rolls - Royce Trent 900 - powered A380s were affected. Investigators determined that an oil leak, caused by a defective oil supply pipe, led to an engine fire and subsequent uncontained engine failure. Repairs cost an estimated A $ 139 million ( ~ US $145 M ). As other Rolls - Royce Trent 900 engines also showed problems with the same oil leak, Rolls - Royce ordered many engines to be changed, including about half of the engines in the Qantas A380 fleet. During the airplane 's repair, cracks were discovered in wing structural fittings which also resulted in mandatory inspections of all A380s and subsequent design changes. Specifications Layout of A380 - 800, 519 seat configuration ( 331 lower, 188 upper ) Comparison between four of the largest aircraft : Hughes H - 4 Hercules Antonov An - 225 Mriya Airbus A380 - 800 Boeing 747 - 8 Variant A380 - 800 Cockpit crew Two Typical seating 544 ( 4 - class ) Exit limit 868 Length overall 72.72 m ( 238 ft 7 in ) Wingspan 79.75 m ( 261 ft 8 in ) Height 24.09 m ( 79 ft 0 in ) Wheelbase 31.88 m ( 104 ft 7 in ) Wheel track 12.46 m ( 40 ft 11 in ), 14.34 m ( 47 ft 1 in ) total width Outside fuselage dimensions Width : 7.14 m ( 23 ft 5 in ) Height : 8.41 m ( 27 ft 7 in ) Maximum cabin width 6.50 m ( 21 ft 4 in ) main deck 5.80 m ( 19 ft 0 in ) upper deck Cabin length 49.9 m ( 163 ft 9 in ) main deck 44.93 m ( 147 ft 5 in ) upper deck Wing area 845 m ( 9,100 sq ft ) Aspect ratio 7.53 Wing sweep 33.5 ° Maximum ramp weight 577 t ( 1,272,000 lb ) Maximum take - off weight 575 t ( 1,268,000 lb ) Max. landing weight 394 t ( 869,000 lb ) Max. zero fuel weight 369 t ( 814,000 lb ) Operating empty weight 276.8 t ( 610,000 lb ) Max. structural payload 84 t ( 185,000 lb ) Maximum cargo volume 184 m ( 6,500 cu ft ) Maximum operating speed Mach 0.89 ( 945 km / h ; 511 kn ) Maximum design speed Mach 0.96 ( 1,020 km / h ; 551 kn ) Cruise speed Mach 0.85 ( 903 km / h ; 488 kn ) Take off ( MTOW, SL, ISA ) 3,000 m ( 9,800 ft ) Landing speed 130 kn ( 240 km / h ) Range 15,200 km / 8,200 nmi Service ceiling 13,100 m ( 43,000 ft ) Max. fuel capacity 323,545 L / 85,471 USgal Engines ( 4 × ) Engine Alliance GP7200 / Rolls - Royce Trent 900 Thrust ( 4 × ) 311 kN ( 70,000 lbf ) type certificate Variant Certification Engine Thrust A380 - 841 12 December 2006 Trent 970 - 84 / 970B - 84 348.31 kN A380 - 842 12 December 2006 Trent 972 - 84 / 972B - 84 356.81 kN A380 - 861 14 December 2007 Engine Alliance GP7270 332.44 kN See also Aviation portal European Union portal Competition between Airbus and Boeing List of megaprojects Related development Airbus A350 XWB Aircraft of comparable role, configuration and era Boeing 747 - 8 Related lists List of jet airliners List of aerospace megaprojects List of Airbus A380 orders and deliveries Seat configurations of the Airbus A380 References Jump up ^ 538 main deck, 330 upper deck Jump up ^ in dive at cruise altitude Jump up ^ Final assembly in France ^ Jump up to : Orders & Deliveries summary. Airbus, 31 August 2017. ^ Jump up to : Alan Tovey ( 18 Jan 2015 ). `` Is Airbus 's A380 a ' superjumbo ' with a future or an aerospace white elephant ? ''. The Telegraph. ^ Jump up to : Christopher Jasper and Andrea Rothman ( 12 Jul 2016 ). `` Airbus A380 Cut May Mark Beginning of End for Superjumbo ''. Bloomberg. Jump up ^ `` 2017 price adjustment for Airbus ' modern, fuel - efficient aircraft ''. Airbus. 11 Jan 2017. Retrieved 5 Jul 2017. Jump up ^ How EADS Became Airbus Archived 17 June 2016 at the Wayback Machine. Jump up ^ Airbus Industrie Archived 11 October 2016 at the Wayback Machine. at britannica.com Jump up ^ `` Airbus A380 Facts & Figures ''. Airbus. June 2016. Jump up ^ Kingsley - Jones, Max ( 17 February 2006 ). `` Boeing 's 747 - 8 vs. A380 : A titanic tussle ''. Flight International. Retrieved 25 September 2013. Jump up ^ Norris, 2005. p. 7 Jump up ^ `` MDC brochures for undeveloped versions of the MD - 11 and MD - 12 ''. md-eleven.net. Retrieved 30 December 2011. Jump up ^ `` McDonnell Douglas Unveils New MD - XX Trijet Design ''. McDonnell Douglas. 4 September 1996. Archived from the original on 2011 - 11 - 06. Retrieved 30 December 2011. Jump up ^ Norris, 2005. pp. 16 -- 17 Jump up ^ Norris, 2005. pp. 17 -- 18 Jump up ^ Norris, 2005. p. 31 ^ Jump up to : Norris, Guy ( 14 June 2005 ). `` Creating A Titan ''. Flight International. Retrieved 30 December 2011. Jump up ^ `` Boeing, partners expected to scrap Super-Jet study ''. Los Angeles Times. 10 July 1995. Retrieved 30 December 2011. Jump up ^ Bowen, David ( 4 June 1994 ). `` Airbus will reveal plan for super-jumbo : Aircraft would seat at least 600 people and cost dollars 8bn to develop ''. The Independent. UK. Retrieved 30 December 2011. Jump up ^ Sweetman, Bill ( 1 October 1994 ). `` Airbus hits the road with A3XX ''. Interavia Business & Technology. Retrieved 30 December 2011. ^ Jump up to : Norris, Guy ; Mark Wagner ( 2005 ). Airbus A380 : Superjumbo of the 21st Century. Zenith Press. ISBN 978 - 0 - 7603 - 2218 - 5. Jump up ^ `` Aviation giants have Super-jumbo task ''. Orlando Sentinel. 27 November 1994. Retrieved 30 December 2011. Jump up ^ Norris, Guy ( 10 September 1997 ). `` Boeing looks again at plans for NLA ''. Flight International. Archived from the original on 1 June 2011. Retrieved 6 March 2012. Jump up ^ `` Superjumbo or white elephant ? ''. Flight International. 1 August 1995. Archived from the original on 2 November 2012. Retrieved 30 December 2011. Jump up ^ Harrison, Michael ( 23 October 1996 ). `` Lehman puts $18 bn price tag on Airbus float ''. The Independent. UK. Retrieved 30 December 2011. Jump up ^ Cannegieter, Roger. `` Long Range vs. Ultra High Capacity '' ( PDF ). aerlines.nl. Archived from the original ( PDF ) on 24 November 2011. Retrieved 30 December 2011. ^ Jump up to : Scott Babka ( 5 September 2006 ). `` EADS : the A380 Debate '' ( PDF ). Morgan Stanley. Jump up ^ Lawler, Anthony ( 4 April 2006 ). `` Point - To - Point, Hub - To - Hub : the need for an A380 size aircraft '' ( PDF ). Leeham.net. Archived from the original ( PDF ) on 23 July 2011. Retrieved 9 April 2010. Jump up ^ Pae, Peter ( 20 December 2000 ). `` Airbus Giant - Jet Gamble OKd in Challenge to Boeing ; Aerospace : EU rebuffs Clinton warning that subsidies for project could lead to a trade war ''. Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 30 December 2011. Jump up ^ `` The Casino in the Sky ''. Wired. Associated Press. 19 December 2000. Archived from the original on 5 November 2012. Retrieved 30 December 2011. Jump up ^ `` Airbus jumbo on runway ''. CNN. 19 December 2000. Retrieved 30 December 2011. Jump up ^ `` Virgin orders six A3XX aircraft, allowing Airbus to meet its goal ''. The Wall Street Journal. 15 December 2000. Retrieved 30 December 2011. Jump up ^ `` Skylon Assessment Report '' ( PDF ). UK Space Agency. April 2011. p. 18. Retrieved 26 April 2015. ^ Jump up to : Yann Philippin ( 7 May 2012 ). `` Airbus encaisse les coûts de l'A380 ''. Libération ( in French ). Jump up ^ Bloomberg ( December 13, 2004 ). `` Airbus Says Its A380 Jet Is Over Budget ''. New York Times. Jump up ^ Karl West ( Dec 28, 2014 ). `` Airbus 's Flagship Plane May Be Too Big To Be Profitable ''. The Guardian. Business Insider. Jump up ^ Andrew Stevens and Jethro Mullen ( February 17, 2016 ). `` Airbus CEO upbeat on future of A380 after new orders ''. CNNMoney. Jump up ^ Richard Aboulafia ( Jun 6, 2016 ). `` Airbus A380 : The Death Watch Begin ''. Forbes. ^ Jump up to : Morales, Jesus. `` Archived copy '' ( PDF ). Archived ( PDF ) from the original on 17 October 2013. Retrieved 2016 - 02 - 07. `` The A380 Transport Project and Logistics -- Assessment of alternatives '', p. 19, Airbus, 18 January 2006. Retrieved 15 April 2012. Jump up ^ `` Airbus delivers first A380 fuselage section from Spain ''. Airbus. 6 November 2003. Retrieved 1 July 2011. Jump up ^ `` Planes that changed the World, Episode # 3 : A380 Superjumbo '' Archived 7 November 2016 at the Wayback Machine... Smithsonian Channel Jump up ^ `` Convoi Exceptionnel ''. Airliner World. Key Publishing Ltd. May 2009. Jump up ^ `` A380 : topping out ceremony in the equipment hall. A380 : special transport ship in Hamburg for the first time ''. Airbus Press Centre. 10 June 2004. Archived from the original on 12 March 2008. Retrieved 19 June 2009. ^ Jump up to : `` Towards Toulouse ''. Flight International. 20 May 2003. Archived from the original on 11 November 2012. Retrieved 30 December 2011. Jump up ^ `` A380 convoys ''. IGG.FR. 28 October 2007. Retrieved 30 December 2011. ^ Jump up to : Kingsley - Jones, Max ( 20 December 2005 ). `` A380 powers on through flight - test ''. Flight International. Archived from the original on 30 September 2007. Retrieved 30 December 2011. Jump up ^ Madslien, Jorn ( 18 January 2005 ). `` Giant plane a testimony to ' old Europe ' ''. BBC News. Retrieved 30 December 2011. Jump up ^ `` A380, the 21st century flagship, successfully completes its first flight ''. Airbus. 27 April 2005. Retrieved 7 June 2011. Jump up ^ Sparaco, Pierre. `` A titan takes off Archived 3 March 2016 at the Wayback Machine. '' Aviation Week & Space Technology, May 2005. ( 1 ) Archive Jump up ^ `` It flies ! But will it sell ? Airbus A380 makes maiden flight, but commercial doubts remain ''. Associated Press. 27 April 2005. Retrieved 30 December 2011. Jump up ^ `` Airbus 380 conducts test flights in Addis Ababa ''. Ethiopian Reporter. 21 November 2009. Archived from the original on 27 February 2015. Retrieved 30 December 2011. Jump up ^ `` Airbus tests A380 jet in extreme cold of Canada ''. MSNBC. 8 February 2006. Retrieved 30 December 2011. Jump up ^ `` Airbus to reinforce part of A380 wing after March static test rupture ''. Flight International. 23 May 2006. Archived from the original on 15 April 2008. Retrieved 30 December 2011. ^ Jump up to : Daly, Kieran ( 6 April 2006 ). `` Airbus A380 evacuation trial full report : everyone off in time ''. Flight International. Archived from the original on 21 June 2008. Retrieved 16 September 2006. Jump up ^ `` Airbus infrared video Archived 30 September 2016 at the Wayback Machine. '' 7 April 2011. Jump up ^ `` Pictures : Airbus A380 clears European and US certification hurdles for evacuation trial ''. Flight International. 29 March 2006. Archived from the original on 12 October 2007. Retrieved 16 September 2006. Jump up ^ `` GE joint venture engines tested on Airbus A380 ''. Business Courier. 25 August 2006. Retrieved 30 December 2011. Jump up ^ `` Airbus test flight with engine alliance engine a success ''. PR Newswire. 28 August 2006. Retrieved 1 November 2012. ^ Jump up to : `` Airbus A380 completes test flight ''. BBC News. 4 September 2006. Retrieved 30 December 2011. Jump up ^ Ramel, Gilles ( 11 November 2006 ). `` Airbus A380 jets off for tests in Asia from the eye of a storm ''. USA Today. Retrieved 30 December 2011. Jump up ^ Whelan, Ian. `` Long - serving Flight Test Aircraft Play Different Roles '' AINonline, 21 August 2014. Accessed : 4 September 2014. Video Archived 9 August 2016 at the Wayback Machine. Jump up ^ `` EASA Type - Certificate Data Sheet TCDS A. 110 Issue 03 '' ( PDF ). EASA. 14 December 2007. Archived from the original ( PDF ) on 8 November 2009. Retrieved 30 December 2011. ^ Jump up to : `` FAA Type Certificate Data Sheet NO. A58NM Rev 2 '' ( PDF ). FAA. 14 December 2007. Retrieved 30 December 2011. Jump up ^ `` Doc 8643 -- Edition 40, Part1 - By Manufacturer Archived 5 March 2016 at the Wayback Machine. '' page 1 - 8. International Civil Aviation Organization, 30 March 2012. Retrieved 29 September 2012. Jump up ^ Heinen, Mario ( 19 October 2006 ). `` The A380 programme '' ( PDF ). EADS. Archived from the original ( PDF ) on 3 November 2006. Retrieved 19 October 2006. Jump up ^ Kingsley - Jones, Max ( 18 July 2006 ). `` The race to rewire the Airbus A380 ''. Flight International. Archived from the original on 2007 - 10 - 12. Retrieved 30 December 2011. ^ Jump up to : Clark, Nicola ( 6 November 2006 ). `` The Airbus saga : Crossed wires and a multibillion - euro delay ''. International Herald Tribune. Retrieved 30 December 2011. Jump up ^ Kenneth Wong ( 6 December 2006 ). `` What Grounded the Airbus A380 ? ''. Cadalyst Manufacturing. Archived from the original on 26 August 2009. Retrieved 30 December 2011. Jump up ^ Crane, Mary ( 6 June 2006 ). `` Major turbulence for EADS on A380 delay ''. Forbes. Archived from the original on 12 August 2010. Retrieved 30 December 2011. Jump up ^ Clark, Nicola ( 5 June 2006 ). `` Airbus delay on giant jet sends shares plummeting ''. International Herald Tribune. Retrieved 30 December 2011. Jump up ^ Clark, Nicola ( 4 September 2006 ). `` Airbus replaces chief of jumbo jet project ''. International Herald Tribune. Retrieved 30 December 2011. Jump up ^ `` Airbus confirms further A380 delay and launches company restructuring plan ''. Airbus. 3 October 2006. Archived from the original on 14 October 2006. Retrieved 3 October 2006. Jump up ^ Robertson, David ( 3 October 2006 ). `` Airbus will lose € 4.8 bn because of A380 delays ''. The Times. UK. Retrieved 30 December 2011. ^ Jump up to : `` A380 Freighter delayed as Emirates switches orders ''. Flight International. 16 May 2006. Retrieved 30 December 2011. ^ Jump up to : Quentin Wilber, Dell ( 8 November 2006 ). `` Airbus bust, Boeing boost ''. The Washington Post. Retrieved 30 December 2011. ^ Jump up to : Carter Dougherty, Leslie Wayne ( 8 November 2006 ). `` FedEx Rescinds Order for Airbus A380s ''. The New York Times. Frankfurt. The New York Times. Retrieved 8 June 2015. Jump up ^ Clark, Nicola ( 2 March 2007 ). `` UPS cancels Airbus A380 order ''. The New York Times. Retrieved 1 November 2012. Jump up ^ `` ILFC to defer its Airbus A380 order until at least 2013, ditching freighter variants for passenger configuration ''. Flight International. 4 December 2006. Archived from the original on 12 October 2007. Retrieved 30 December 2011. Jump up ^ `` Airbus says A380F development ' interrupted ' ''. Flight International. Archived from the original on 2007 - 09 - 30. Retrieved 30 December 2011. Jump up ^ `` Airbus has no timeline on the A380 freighter ''. Flight International. Archived from the original on 14 March 2008. Retrieved 30 December 2011. Jump up ^ `` Emirates Airlines reaffirms commitment to A380 and orders additional four ''. Airbus. Archived from the original on 23 December 2007. Retrieved 25 October 2009. Jump up ^ `` Singapore Airlines boosts Airbus fleet with additional A380 orders ''. Airbus. Archived from the original on 28 December 2007. Retrieved 25 October 2009. Jump up ^ `` Qantas signs firm order for eight additional A380s ''. Airbus. Archived from the original on 20 April 2008. Retrieved 25 October 2009. Jump up ^ `` Air France to order two additional A380s and 18 A320 Family aircraft ''. Airbus. Retrieved 7 June 2011. Jump up ^ `` Qatar Airways confirms order for 80 A350 XWBs and adds three A380s ''. Airbus. Archived from the original on 22 June 2008. Retrieved 25 October 2009. Jump up ^ `` Korean Air expands A380 aircraft order ''. Airbus. Archived from the original on 2 August 2008. Retrieved 25 October 2009. Jump up ^ Pae, Peter ( January 18, 2009 ). `` Airbus could build next Air Force One ; 747 due to be replaced ''. Seattle Times. Jump up ^ `` US considers Airbus A380 as Air Force One and potentially a C - 5 replacement ''. Flight International. 17 October 2007. Jump up ^ `` EADS waves off bid for Air Force One replacement ''. Flight International. January 28, 2009. Archived from the original on 2009 - 02 - 03. Jump up ^ `` A380 production ramp - up revisited ''. Airbus. 13 May 2008. Archived from the original on 17 May 2008. Retrieved 30 December 2011. Jump up ^ `` Airbus Expects Sharp Order Drop in 2009 ''. Aviation Week & Space Technology. 15 January 2009. Retrieved 30 December 2011. Jump up ^ Rothman, Andrea ( 30 December 2009 ). `` Airbus Fell Short with 10 A380s in 2009 ''. Business Week. Archived from the original on 16 April 2011. Retrieved 30 December 2011. ^ Jump up to : Rothman, Andrea ( 17 January 2011 ). `` Airbus Beats Boeing on 2010 Orders, Deliveries as Demand Recovery Kicks In ''. Bloomberg L.P. Retrieved 30 December 2011. ^ Jump up to : Daniel Michaels ( 13 July 2012 ). `` Airbus Wants A380 Cost Cuts ''. The Wall Street Journal. Jump up ^ `` Airbus slashes production of A380 superjumbo ''. Financial Times. 12 July 2016. Jump up ^ `` Airbus A380 Cut May Mark Beginning of End for Superjumbo ''. July 12, 2016. Jump up ^ NY Times : Airbus Cuts Delivery Goal for A380 Jumbo Jets Archived 16 September 2016 at the Wayback Machine. Jump up ^ WSJ : Airbus Cuts A380 Production Plans Archived 10 October 2016 at the Wayback Machine. Jump up ^ Jens Flottau ( Jun 5, 2017 ). `` Airbus confirms more A380 production cuts ''. Aviation Week Network. Jump up ^ `` Airbus reports Half - Year ( H1 ) 2017 results '' ( Press release ). Airbus. 27 July 2017. Jump up ^ `` BBC Two : ' How to build a superjumbo wing ' ''. BBC. 23 November 2011. Retrieved 30 December 2011. ^ Jump up to : `` Singapore Airlines -- Our History ''. Singapore Airlines. 1 November 2012. Archived from the original on 9 February 2013. Retrieved 1 November 2012. Jump up ^ `` A380 superjumbo lands in Sydney ''. BBC. 25 October 2007. Retrieved 30 December 2011. Jump up ^ `` SIA 's Chew : A380 pleases, Virgin Atlantic disappoints ''. ATW Online. 13 December 2007. Archived from the original on 15 December 2007. Retrieved 13 December 2007. Jump up ^ Flottau, Jens ( 21 November 2012 ). `` Emirates A350 - 1000 Order ' In Limbo ' ''. Aviation Week & Space Technology. Retrieved 22 November 2012. Clark points out that `` the faster you fly ( the A380 ), the more fuel - efficient she gets ; when you fly at ( Mach ) 0.86 she is better than at 0.83. '' Jump up ^ `` `` Archived copy ''. Archived from the original on 6 July 2015. Retrieved 2014 - 06 - 19. Technical Issues ``, Flightglobal, undated. Accessed : 20 June 2014. Jump up ^ `` Emirates A380 arrives in New York ! ''. 3 August 2008. Retrieved 30 December 2011. ^ Jump up to : `` Emirates A380 Lands at New York 's JFK ''. 1 August 2008. Retrieved 30 December 2011. ^ Jump up to : `` Qantas A380 arrives in LA after maiden flight ''. The Age. Australia. 21 October 2008. Retrieved 30 December 2011. Jump up ^ `` Airbus narrowly meets delivery target of 12 A380s in 2008 ''. Flight International. 30 December 2008. Archived from the original on 15 February 2009. Retrieved 30 December 2011. Jump up ^ `` Singapore Airlines celebrates its first millionth A380 passenger ''. WebWire. 19 February 2009. Retrieved 30 December 2011. Jump up ^ `` Airbus A380 : Mehr als 1, 5 Millionen Passagiere ''. FlugRevue. 11 May 2009. Jump up ^ Michaels, Daniel ( 30 October 2009 ). `` Strong Euro Weighs on Airbus, Suppliers ''. The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 30 December 2011. Jump up ^ `` Air France set to get Europe 's first A380 superjumbo ''. MSN News. 30 October 2009. Jump up ^ `` Lufthansa übernimmt A380 am 19. Mai -- Trainingsflüge in ganz Deutschland ''. Flugrevue.de. Archived from the original on 13 May 2011. Retrieved 3 April 2011. Jump up ^ `` Airbus delivers tenth A380 in 2010 '' ( Press release ). 16 July 2011. Retrieved 7 August 2011. Jump up ^ `` The A380 global fleet spreads its wings as deliveries hit the ' century mark ' ''. Airbus ( Press release ). 14 March 2013. Retrieved 24 April 2016. Jump up ^ `` Where is the A380 flying ? ''. airbus.com. Retrieved 1 April 2015. Jump up ^ Jens Flottau ( 29 October 2015 ). `` Airbus A380 After Eight Years In Service ''. Aviation Week & Space Technology. ^ Jump up to : `` Looking forward Archived 27 December 2014 at the Wayback Machine. '' Flightglobal, undated. Accessed : 20 June 2014. Jump up ^ `` Airbus poised to start building new higher - weight A380 variant ''. Flight International. 18 May 2010. Archived from the original on 21 May 2010. Retrieved 19 May 2010. Jump up ^ `` British Airways and Emirates will be first for new longer - range A380 ''. Flight International. 14 May 2009. Retrieved 14 December 2011. ^ Jump up to : Hamilton, Scott. `` Updating the A380 : the prospect of a neo version and what 's involved '' Leehamnews.com, 3 February 2014. Accessed : 21 June 2014. Archived on 8 April 2014. Jump up ^ `` Airbus to offer higher - weight A380 from 2013 ''. Flight International. 20 February 2012. Retrieved 16 October 2013. ^ Jump up to : `` EASA mandates prompt detailed visual inspections of the wings of 20 A380s ''. EASA. Retrieved 20 January 2012. Jump up ^ Hradecky, Simon ( 21 January 2012 ). `` Airworthiness Directive regarding Airbus A380 wing cracks ''. The Aviation Herald. Jump up ^ `` EASA AD No. : 2012 - 0013 '' ( PDF ). EASA. 20 January 2012. Retrieved 22 January 2012. Jump up ^ Rob Waugh ( 9 January 2012 ). `` World 's biggest super-jumbos must be GROUNDED, say engineers after cracks are found in the wings of three Airbus A380s ''. London : The Daily Mail. Jump up ^ `` Airbus Adjusts A380 Assembly Process ''. Aviation Week & Space Technology. 26 January 2012. Retrieved 29 January 2012. Jump up ^ `` Airbus to inspect all A380 superjumbos for wing cracks ''. BBC News. 8 February 2012. Retrieved 8 February 2012. Jump up ^ `` A380 Repairs to cost Airbus 105 million pounds ''. Air Transport World. 14 March 2012. Retrieved 5 May 2012. Jump up ^ `` Air France seeks Airbus compensation for A380 glitches : report ''. DefenceWeb. 1 November 2012. Retrieved 2 June 2013. Jump up ^ `` Airbus A380 wing repairs could take up to eight weeks ''. BBC News. 11 June 2012. Retrieved 2 June 2013. Jump up ^ `` Druckabfall im A380 : Airbus muss jede zehnte Tür umbauen ''. Der Spiegel. 18 June 2014. Retrieved 24 April 2016. Jump up ^ `` Erhebliche Probleme mit Türen des Airbus A380 ''. NDR Presse und Information. 18 June 2014. Retrieved 24 April 2016. Jump up ^ `` Singapore Airlines A380 plane in emergency landing ''. BBC News. 6 January 2014. Retrieved 24 April 2016. Jump up ^ `` Airbus A380 Cabin ''. Airbus. Archived from the original on 2009 - 08 - 25. Retrieved 30 December 2011. ^ Jump up to : Martin, Mike ( 18 June 2007 ). `` Honey, I shrunk the A380 ! ''. Flight International. Archived from the original on 12 October 2007. Retrieved 17 September 2007. ^ Jump up to : `` A380 Specifications ''. Airbus. Retrieved 18 June 2009. ^ Jump up to : `` The triple - deck cargo hauler ''. Airbus. Archived from the original on 22 August 2008. Retrieved 25 October 2009. Jump up ^ `` Trent 900 engine ''. Rolls - Royce. Archived from the original on 7 September 2006. Retrieved 16 September 2006. Jump up ^ `` GP7200 engine features ''. Engine Alliance. Retrieved 16 September 2006. Jump up ^ `` Environment ''. Lufthansa. Archived from the original on 3 July 2008. Retrieved 25 October 2009. Jump up ^ `` A380 Family ''. Airbus. Archived from the original on 1 October 2009. Retrieved 25 October 2009. Jump up ^ National Air Traffic Services ( February 2003 ). `` Review of the Quota Count ( QC ) System used for Administering the Night Noise Quotaa at Heathrow, Gatwick and Stansted Airports ''. Archived from the original ( PDF ) on 17 July 2007. Retrieved 15 September 2009. Jump up ^ `` JC 2012 WINNERS FINAL 14 Nov 2012 ''. Noise Abatement Society. 15 November 2012. Retrieved 27 January 2013. Jump up ^ `` Airbus A380 '' ( PDF ). CAA. 14 May 2012. Archived from the original ( PDF ) on 24 April 2014. Retrieved 21 June 2014. Jump up ^ Rhodes, D.P. ( 10 February 2012 ). `` Noise Data for the First Three Years of Scheduled Airbus A380 Operations at London Heathrow Airport ERCD REPORT 1106 '' ( PDF ). CAA. Archived from the original ( PDF ) on 17 December 2014. Retrieved 21 June 2014. Arrival noise levels are also lower than for the Boeing 747 -- 400, although by less than expected in the case of the Rolls Royce powered A380 variant Jump up ^ Night Flying Restrictions at Heathrow, Gatwick and Stansted Stage 1 Consultation ( PDF ). Department for Transport, UK ( Report ). January 2013. p. 28. Retrieved 21 June 2014. Some of these new aircraft types appear slightly noisier in operation than their QC classification ( A380 with Rolls - Royce Trent 900 engines )... Rolls - Royce is supporting CAA in understanding the relatively high A380 / Trent 900 monitored noise levels Jump up ^ `` Designed for increased operational performance '' ( PDF ). Honeywell. Retrieved 28 October 2009. Stopping performance eliminates requirements for 2 thrust reversers Jump up ^ `` More on A380 Special Conditions ''. Air Safety Week. 2 June 2005. Archived from the original on 17 October 2015. Jump up ^ `` Airbus ponders A380 thrust reverser options ''. Flight International. 3 April 2001. ^ Jump up to : Mark Huber ( August 2011 ). `` How Things Work : Stopping the A380 ''. Air & Space magazine. Smithsonian. Archived from the original on 21 June 2014. Jump up ^ `` Innovative Honeywell helps to curb A380 weight ''. Flight International. 15 June 2005. Archived from the original on 2012 - 11 - 02. Some systems, like the electromagnetic thrust reversers are a first for a commercial aircraft Jump up ^ Dunn, Graham ( 1 February 2008 ). `` Airbus conducts A380 alternative - fuel demonstration flight ''. Flight International. Archived from the original on 2 February 2008. Retrieved 1 February 2008. Jump up ^ Lalor, Dan ( 1 February 2008 ). `` A380 makes test flight on alternative fuel ''. Reuters. Retrieved 2 July 2011. Jump up ^ Airbus A380 Fact sheet ( PDF ). Hamilton and Sundstrand ( Report ). Archived from the original ( PDF ) on 2 March 2013. Retrieved 24 April 2016. Jump up ^ Bray, Rob ( June 2007 ). `` Supersize Wings '' ( 31 ). Ingenia. Jump up ^ Peter M. Burns & Marina Novelli. `` Tourism and Mobilities : Local - Global Connections Archived 9 September 2016 at the Wayback Machine. '', p. 192. ISBN 1845934040 Jump up ^ Updating the A380 : the prospect of a neo version and what 's involved. Online : `` Archived copy ''. Archived from the original on 28 August 2016. Retrieved 2016 - 06 - 23. Jump up ^ Pang, Damon ( 4 September 2007 ). `` A380 superjumbo gives thrilling morning air show ''. The Standard. Hong Kong. Archived from the original on 29 June 2011. Jump up ^ `` A380 Superjumbo '', A Documentary broadcast on the Smithsonian Channel in the series Planes that changed the world Jump up ^ Marks, Paul ( 29 June 2005 ). `` Aviation -- The shape of wings to come ''. New Scientist. More than 20 % of the A380 is made of lightweight - but - strong composite materials, mainly carbon - fibre - reinforced plastic Jump up ^ Roberts, Tony ( 1 February 2007 ). `` Rapid growth forecast for carbon fibre market ''. Reinforced Plastics. Jump up ^ Marsh, George ( 11 October 2002 ). `` Composites strengthen aerospace hold ''. Science Direct. Jump up ^ `` How to make an elephant fly ''. Scenta. 31 July 2007. Archived from the original on 20 July 2011. Jump up ^ `` Thermoplastic composites gain leading edge on the A380 ''. Composites World. 3 January 2006. Retrieved 6 March 2012. Jump up ^ `` Coming Soon : The Innovative Airbus A380 ''. Aviation Today. 1 April 2006. Jump up ^ Rothman, Andrea ( 17 July 2004 ). `` Airbus ' ' big baby ' is too big ''. Seattle Post-Intelligencer. Retrieved 2 July 2011. Jump up ^ Berends, H., van Burg, E., & van Raaij, E.M. ( 2011 ). Contacts and contracts : Cross-level network dynamics in the development of an aircraft material. Organization Science, 22 ( 4 ), 940 -- 960. Jump up ^ Van Burg, E., Berends, H., & van Raaij, E.M. ( 2014 ). Framing and Interorganizational Knowledge Transfer : A Process Study of Collaborative Innovation in the Aircraft Industry. Journal of Management Studies, 51 ( 3 ), 349 -- 378. Jump up ^ Rötzer, Isolde ( 1 January 2005 ). `` Laser Beam Welding '' ( PDF ). Fraunhofer Society Material and Beam Technology -- IWS, Dresden, Germany. Archived from the original ( PDF ) on 23 February 2006. Retrieved 14 May 2007. Jump up ^ Aluminum Alloy Development for the Airbus A380 Archived 17 March 2015 at the Wayback Machine... Key to metals Jump up ^ Wing error costs 2B kroner Archived 27 May 2013 at the Wayback Machine. ( in Norwegian ) Teknisk Ukeblad 31 May 2012. Retrieved 1 June 2012 Jump up ^ Airbus A380 Wing Flaws May Cost USD $629 Mln Archived 4 January 2016 at the Wayback Machine. Reuters 24 May 2012. Retrieved 1 June 2012 Jump up ^ `` Airbus starts painting first A380 ''. Airbus. 11 April 2007. Archived from the original on 10 June 2008. Retrieved 30 December 2011. Jump up ^ `` The Aviation Writer ''. Retrieved 15 June 2015. Jump up ^ `` Integrated Modular Avionics : Less is More ''. Aviation Today. 1 February 2007. Some believe the IMA concept originated in the United States with the new F - 22 and F - 35 fighters and then migrated to the commercial jetliner arena. Others say the modular avionics concept, with less integration, has been used in business jets and regional airliners since the late 1980s or early 90s Jump up ^ `` Rafale ''. Dassault Aviation. 12 June 2005. Archived from the original on 2009 - 03 - 04. ^ Jump up to : `` Thales technologies onboard the A380 ''. Thales Group. 30 October 2009. The A380 is the first aircraft ever to be fitted with the Integrated Modular Avionics ( IMA ) suite, a major technical evolution of global importance for airlines and operators. Designed by Airbus and co-developed with Thales and Diehl Aerospace, the IMA is a leap - ahead technological innovation, with all onboard computing modules networked and able to support different applications. The result is a substantial improvement in computing power, reliability, maintainability, volume, weight and scalability. Jump up ^ `` Networking ''. Lufthansa. Archived from the original on 12 June 2008. Retrieved 25 October 2009. ^ Jump up to : Adams, Charlotte ( 1 July 2002 ). `` Test cards for the Airbus A380 ''. Aviation Today. Archived from the original on 17 October 2007. Retrieved 16 October 2007. Jump up ^ `` Cockpit ''. Lufthansa. Archived from the original on 12 June 2008. Retrieved 25 October 2009. Jump up ^ O'Connell, Dominic ( 26 March 2006 ). `` Flying the Airbus giant of the skies ''. The Times. UK. Retrieved 26 March 2006. Jump up ^ `` Barco extends its success in the civil avionics market with new Airbus deal ''. Barco. Archived from the original on 16 July 2011. Retrieved 25 October 2009. Jump up ^ `` A380 flight deck ''. Airbus. Archived from the original on 25 August 2006. Retrieved 16 September 2006. Jump up ^ `` Flash - based view of A380 's cockpit ''. gillesvidal.com. Archived from the original on 3 November 2009. Retrieved 25 October 2009. Jump up ^ `` A350 cockpit borrows A380 innovations ''. Air Transport Briefing. 6 March 2006. Jump up ^ `` Lufthansa Systems database plots route to the paperless cockpit ''. Flight International. 5 October 2004. Jump up ^ `` Advances in more - electric aircraft technologies ''. Aircraft Engineering and Aerospace Technology. Emerald Group. 73 ( 3 ). 2001. ^ Jump up to : Adams, Charlotte ( 1 October 2001 ). `` A380 : ' more electric ' aircraft ''. Aviation Today. Archived from the original on 17 March 2006. Retrieved 26 September 2006. Jump up ^ Henry, P.J. `` A380 pushes 5000 psi into realm of the common man ''. Hydraulics & Pneumatics. Retrieved 1 November 2012. ^ Jump up to : Wiebusch, Bruce ( 8 September 2002 ). `` High pressure, low weight ''. Design News. Archived from the original on 14 July 2010. Jump up ^ `` Eaton wins hydraulic system contract for A380, $200 million potential for U.S. company ''. Business Wire. 10 October 2001. Jump up ^ `` Hydraulic services contract for Airbus A380 wing jigs ''. Aircraft Engineering and Aerospace Technology. Emerald Group. 76 ( 2 ). 2004. Jump up ^ `` Innovative Variable Frequency Power ''. Goodrich. Retrieved 27 October 2009. Jump up ^ Adams, Charlotte ( 1 October 2001 ). `` A380 : ' More Electric ' Aircraft ''. Avionics Magazine. Jump up ^ `` Airbus A380 Brief ''. Retrieved 19 September 2013. Jump up ^ Norris, Guy and Mark Wagner ( 2005 ). Airbus A380 : Superjumbo of the 21st Century. Zenith Imprint. p. 129. ISBN 076032218X. Jump up ^ `` Global Aircraft -- Airbus A380 ''. Retrieved 19 June 2009. Jump up ^ `` Fascinating figures about the A380 ''. Airbus. Archived from the original on 4 July 2008. Retrieved 1 August 2008. Jump up ^ `` Cabin of Airbus A380 ''. airbus. Retrieved 24 April 2016. Jump up ^ Verghese, Vijay ( 2011 ). `` A survey of the best airline economy seats ''. Smarttravelasia.com. Archived from the original on 20 May 2011. Retrieved 17 May 2011. Jump up ^ `` Onboard the Airbus A380 ''. Fodors. Archived from the original on 2007 - 10 - 20. Retrieved 6 March 2012. Jump up ^ `` 747 - 400 Cross Sections ''. Boeing. Archived from the original on 11 June 2008. Retrieved 19 June 2008. Jump up ^ `` World 's largest passenger plane lands at Copenhagen Airport ''. Copenhagen Post. 1 December 2015. Jump up ^ `` Emirates A380s to Establish New Airliner Seat Record ''. Aviation. 8 June 2008. Jump up ^ Buckland, Rob ( 23 October 2009 ). `` Recession causes turbulence for Airbus A380 sales ''. Bristol 24 - 7. Archived from the original on 2013 - 12 - 11. Jump up ^ `` Cabin Interior, Mood Lighting ''. Diehl Aerospace, Germany. Archived from the original on 27 September 2007. Retrieved 14 May 2007. Jump up ^ `` Airbus Cabin Showroom ''. Airbus. Archived from the original on 26 May 2007. Retrieved 14 May 2007. Jump up ^ Wallace, James ( 30 October 2007 ). `` Aerospace Notebook : It 's no cruise ship of the sky, but A380 is raising the bar for comfort ''. Seattle Post-Intelligencer. Retrieved 17 May 2011. ^ Jump up to : Frost, Laurence ( 7 February 2007 ). `` Airbus Flight Shows Off Troubled A380 ''. The Washington Post. Retrieved 17 May 2011. ^ Jump up to : Stoller, Gary ( 3 February 2005 ). `` Flights of fancy ''. USA Today. Retrieved 17 May 2011. Jump up ^ Rothman, Andrea ( 30 October 2009 ). `` Airbus A380 's bar, flatbeds, showers irk Engineers ''. Bloomberg L.P. Archived from the original on 2012 - 03 - 06. ^ Jump up to : `` SIA is ready at last to start flying the A380 ''. Flight International. Archived from the original on 2007 - 10 - 17. Retrieved 17 May 2011. ^ Jump up to : `` Air France picks business seat ; eyeing premium economy for A380 ''. Flight International. Archived from the original on 2015 - 12 - 28. Retrieved 17 May 2011. Jump up ^ `` Seat Map Singapore Airlines Airbus A380 ''. Seat Guru. Archived from the original on 25 February 2009. Retrieved 19 February 2009. Jump up ^ `` Singapore Airlines A380 ''. Singapore Airlines. Archived from the original on 17 October 2007. Retrieved 28 October 2007. Jump up ^ `` Singapore Airlines Suites Archived 4 February 2016 at the Wayback Machine. '' Singapore Airlines. Retrieved 29 September 2012. Jump up ^ `` Qantas and the A380 ''. Qantas. Archived from the original on 14 December 2007. Retrieved 15 December 2007. Jump up ^ `` SeatGuru Seat Map Qantas Airways Airbus A380 - 800 ( 388 ) : ''. Jump up ^ `` Comparing Airlines ' Airbus A380s ''. Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on 23 November 2009. Retrieved 30 November 2009. Jump up ^ `` First class flight perks we envy slideshow ''. Yahoo !. Archived from the original on 2014 - 03 - 18. Jump up ^ Warburton, Simon ( 30 July 2009 ). `` A first look inside Emirates ' A380s ''. The Times. UK. Jump up ^ `` The Emirates A380 : First Class ''. Emirates. Retrieved 23 October 2009. Jump up ^ `` Showers, Bars, Lounge -- the Emirates Airbus A380 has them all ''. Asia Travel Tips. 30 July 2008. Jump up ^ Painter - Bosworth, Nicholas ( 7 April 2015 ), `` Middle Eastern carriers show their Gulf in class '', Flightglobal, Reed Business Information, retrieved 8 April 2015 Jump up ^ `` Qantas unveils self - serve bar ''. Adelaide Now. Retrieved 17 May 2011. Jump up ^ Flottau, Jens, In a squeeze, Aviation Week & Space Technology, April 27 -- May 10, 2015, p. 64 Jump up ^ Milstein, Michael. `` Superduperjumbo Double the size of an Airbus A380 ? No problem, aerodynamicists say. ''. Air & Space Magazine. Retrieved 25 October 2008. ^ Jump up to : `` A380 Aircraft Characteristics -- Airport and Maintenance Planning '' ( PDF ). Airbus. 1 December 2015. Jump up ^ Harrison, Michael ( 24 June 2000 ). `` Airbus opens its books for the world 's biggest jumbo. But is it a plane too far ? ''. The Independent. UK. ^ Jump up to : `` Common Agreement Document of the A380 Airport Compatibility Group Version 2.1 '' page 8, European Civil Aviation Conference, December 2002. Retrieved 29 September 2012. Jump up ^ `` Minimum Requirements to Widen Existing 150 - Foot Wide Runways for Airbus A380 Operations '' ( PDF ). FAA. 13 February 2004. Archived from the original ( PDF ) on 2009 - 12 - 29. Retrieved 18 September 2009. Jump up ^ `` Use of non-standard 75 - foot - wide straight taxiway sections for Airbus 380 taxiing operations '' ( PDF ). FAA. April 2006. Archived from the original ( PDF ) on 8 November 2009. Retrieved 24 September 2006. Jump up ^ `` Operational Evaluation Board Report Airbus A380 - 800 Report of the FCL / OPS Subgroup Report, Revision 1 18 July 2011 '' ( PDF ). 18 July 2011. Archived ( PDF ) from the original on 2 November 2012. Retrieved 1 November 2012. Jump up ^ Oldham, Jennifer ( 18 March 2007 ). `` Airbus set for U.S. debut of world 's largest passenger jet ''. Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 21 December 2010. Jump up ^ North, David ( 2 October 2006 ). `` Pilot Report : Flying the Airbus A380 ''. Aviation Week. Retrieved 21 December 2010. ^ Jump up to : Arnoult, Sandra. `` Airports Prepare for the A380 ''. Airport Equipment & Technology. Retrieved 25 October 2008. Jump up ^ `` 747 - 400 Airport Compatibility Report '', section 2.2. 1. Boeing, December 2002. Retrieved 29 September 2012. Jump up ^ `` 747 - 8 Airport Compatibility Report '', section 2.2. 1. Boeing, December 2011. Retrieved 29 September 2012. Jump up ^ Dupont, Willy - Pierre. `` A380 -- A solution for airports '' ( PDF ). Airbus. Archived from the original ( PDF ) on 10 September 2008. Retrieved 19 May 2007. ^ Jump up to : Gerzanics, Mike ( 25 September 2006 ). `` FLIGHT TEST : Airbus A380 ''. Flight International. Archived from the original on 2009 - 04 - 12. Retrieved 15 December 2010. Jump up ^ Hebborn, Andy ( June 2008 ). `` A380 Landing Gear and Systems '' ( PDF ). Airbus. Archived from the original ( PDF ) on 2017 - 03 - 26. Retrieved 26 March 2017. Jump up ^ `` Catering ''. Lufthansa. Archived from the original on 15 June 2008. Retrieved 25 October 2008. Jump up ^ `` Aircraft movements ''. Lufthansa. Archived from the original on 14 June 2008. Retrieved 25 October 2008. Jump up ^ Helms, Ina. `` Boarding please -- aber ein bisschen flott ! '' ( PDF ). Innovate !. Archived from the original ( PDF ) on 20 November 2008. Retrieved 25 October 2008. Jump up ^ `` A380 first touchdown in the United States as part of commercial Route Proving ''. Airbus. 12 March 2007. Archived from the original on 2008 - 12 - 16. Jump up ^ Klein, Daniel. `` Video Airbus A380 cockpit '' Archived 17 March 2016 at the Wayback Machine., 18 January 2006. Retrieved 11 June 2013. Jump up ^ `` Airbus A380 wake turbulence may double safe distance between planes ''. Aviationpros. 23 November 2005. Jump up ^ `` A380 wake tests prompt call to reassess all large aircraft ''. Flightglobal. 29 November 2005. Jump up ^ `` Airbus A380 wake vortex study completed ''. Airbus S.A.S. 28 September 2006. Archived from the original on 14 October 2006. Retrieved 30 September 2006. Jump up ^ `` A380 wake vortex study provides some good news for Airbus ''. ATW. 29 September 2006. Jump up ^ `` Airbus A380 vortex - revised guidance material '' ( PDF ). ICAO. 16 January 2007. Archived from the original ( PDF ) on 7 June 2011. Retrieved 9 November 2007. Jump up ^ `` New guidelines show shorter A380 separation distances ''. Flight International. 22 August 2008. Archived from the original on 5 September 2008. Retrieved 6 September 2008. Jump up ^ `` ATSB Report AO - 2008 - 077 Archived 14 September 2016 at the Wayback Machine. '' Australian Transport Safety Bureau, 9 December 2009. Retrieved 18 September 2012. Jump up ^ `` Pilot 's perspective '' Flightglobal, undated. Accessed : 20 June 2014. Archived on 18 March 2014. Jump up ^ Canaday, Henry ( 2 February 2015 ). `` Major Maintenance Due For Airbus A380s ''. Aviation Week & Space Technology. Archived from the original on 24 April 2015. Retrieved 24 April 2015. Jump up ^ `` A380 Freighter Specifications ''. Airbus. Archived from the original on 2010 - 06 - 30. Retrieved 18 April 2010. Jump up ^ Andriulaitis, Robert. `` '' B747 - 8F VS A380F '' Archived 3 March 2016 at the Wayback Machine. '' InterVISTAS, December 2005. Retrieved 29 September 2012. Jump up ^ `` Airbus freighter aircraft, cargo aircraft -- Airbus, a leading aircraft manufacturer ''. airbus. Jump up ^ Zhang, Benjamin ( 9 July 2015 ). `` Airbus could solve a huge problem with jumbo jets ''. Retrieved 22 April 2016. Jump up ^ `` Airbus plant Riesen A380 '' ( in German ). Topnews.de. 22 November 2007. Retrieved 1 November 2012. Jump up ^ `` Supersizing the superjumbo : Airbus says 1,000 seat A380 due 2020 ''. Australian Business Traveller. 26 September 2012. Retrieved 7 July 2013. Jump up ^ Rothman, Andrea ( 15 November 2007 ). `` Europe -- Airbus plans 900 - Seat Superjumbo ; Emirates would buy ''. Bloomberg. Archived from the original on 27 March 2010. Jump up ^ `` Branson favors planned Airbus 900 - seat A380 ''. The Seattle Times. 21 February 2004. Jump up ^ Rigby, Bill ( 30 October 2007 ). `` Interview - Cathay Pacific to wait on next - generation planes ''. Reuters. Retrieved 7 June 2011. Jump up ^ `` Airbus to extend A380 to accommodate 1,000 passengers ''. The Times of India. Thaindian.com. 29 August 2008. Retrieved 2 July 2011. Jump up ^ `` Kingfisher defers delivery to wait for A380 - 900 ''. ATW Daily News. 6 February 2009. Archived from the original on 13 January 2010. Jump up ^ Wallace, James ; Aerospace, P-I ( 25 October 2007 ). `` A stretch version of the A380 ? It 's in the plans ''. Seattle Post-Intelligencer. Retrieved 7 June 2011. Jump up ^ `` A380 - 900 and freighter both on ' back - burner ' : Enders ''. Flight International. 20 May 2010. Archived from the original on 2010 - 05 - 24. Retrieved 14 December 2011. Jump up ^ Flynn, David ( 11 December 2014 ). `` Airbus to build A380neo and A380 ' stretch ' ''. Australian Business Traveller. Retrieved 12 December 2014. Jump up ^ Rothman, Andrea ( 10 December 2014 ). `` Airbus Raises Prospect of Ditching A380 as Orders Vanish ''. Bloomberg. Retrieved 12 December 2014. Jump up ^ `` Airbus in early talks over moderate A380 stretch ''. Flightglobal.com. Retrieved 24 April 2016. Jump up ^ `` Airbus in talks with airlines over stretched A380 ''. Reuters. June 15, 2015. Jump up ^ `` Airbus commits to new A380 ''. The Sunday Times. Retrieved 24 April 2016. Jump up ^ `` Airbus To Make A380neo Decision In 2015 ''. Aviation week. Retrieved 24 April 2016. Jump up ^ Rothman, Andrea ( 10 December 2014 ). `` Airbus Raises Prospect of Ditching A380 as Orders Vanish ''. Bloomberg. Retrieved 24 April 2016. Jump up ^ `` Airbus Talking To Airlines About `` Slight Stretch '' Of A380 ``. Aviation Week. Retrieved 24 April 2016. Jump up ^ `` Airbus A380 faces uncertain future ''. CNBC. 16 June 2015. Retrieved 24 April 2016. Jump up ^ `` Rolls - Royce And Airbus Near Accord Over A380neo ''. Aviation week. Retrieved 24 April 2016. Jump up ^ `` Rolls Royce Advance Products ''. Rolls Royce. Archived from the original on 19 December 2015. Retrieved 24 April 2016. Jump up ^ `` Emirates, Airbus Talks On A380neo ' Lapsed ' ''. aviationweek.com. Retrieved 2016 - 06 - 04. Jump up ^ http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/news/airbus-a380-winglets-bigger-wing-span/ Jump up ^ https://twitter.com/jpmach2/status/875381206371708934/photo/1?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw&ref_url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.aeroin.net%2Fairbus-prestes-a-anunciar-a380-plus-nova-versao-maior-aviao-do-mundo%2F Jump up ^ `` Airbus presents the A380plus '' ( Press release ). Airbus. 19 June 2017. Jump up ^ Jens Flottau ( Jun 18, 2017 ). `` Airbus Launches A380 - plus Development Study ''. Aviation Week Network. Jump up ^ Jens Flottau ( Jun 19, 2017 ). `` Airbus Details A380 - plus Modifications ''. Aviation Week Network. ^ Jump up to : Max Kingsley - Jones ( 19 Sep 2017 ). `` The A380 's rollercoaster ride in 10 years of service ''. Flight International. Jump up ^ Pierre Sparaco ( 3 March 2014 ). `` Opinion : Mega-Transports Hobbled By Their Size ''. Aviation Week & Space Technology. Jump up ^ `` Flying by Nature Airbus Global Market Forecast 2007 -- 2026 '' ( PDF ). Airbus S.A.S. 31 January 2008. pp. 78 -- 79. Archived from the original on 9 April 2008. CS1 maint : BOT : original - url status unknown ( link ) Jump up ^ `` Boeing Current Market Outlook 2007 '' ( PDF ). Boeing Commercial Airplanes. 20 November 2007. p. 43. Archived from the original on 9 April 2008. CS1 maint : BOT : original - url status unknown ( link ) Jump up ^ `` Asian Airlines ' changing presence at London Heathrow ''. Center for Aviation. 13 February 2013. Jump up ^ `` China Southern 's A380 problems may not be solved by possible Air China partnership ''. CAPA : Centre for Aviation. 2 April 2013. Jump up ^ Jasmine Wang ( 1 June 2013 ). `` China Southern Gets First Dreamliner After Failed A380 Strategy ''. Bloomberg. Archived from the original on 2 June 2013. CS1 maint : BOT : original - url status unknown ( link ) Jump up ^ Kurt Hofman ( 30 September 2013 ). `` Air France : Airbus A380 not a good fit for network ''. Air Transport World. Jump up ^ Ian Goold ( 13 July 2014 ). `` Airbus, Airlines Happy With A380 ''. Aviation International News. Jump up ^ Jens Flottau ( 17 November 2014 ). `` ' New Breed Of Managers ' Needed For A380 Success, Tim Clark Believes ''. Aviation Week & Space Technology. Jump up ^ Jeffrey Dastin ( 4 June 2015 ). `` United Airlines does not see a fit for Airbus A380 ''. Reuters. Jump up ^ Andreas Sperl ( 19 October 2006 ). `` A380 financial update '' ( PDF ). EADS. Archived from the original on 3 November 2006. CS1 maint : BOT : original - url status unknown ( link ) Jump up ^ `` EADS hopeful A380 could break even in 2015 ''. Flight International. 19 May 2010. Jump up ^ Tim Hepher ( 11 December 2014 ). `` Fury at Airbus after it hints the super-jumbo may be mothballed ''. Reuters. Jump up ^ `` Airbus shares fall over A380 threat ''. BBC News. 11 December 2014. Jump up ^ Michael Stothard ( December 11, 2014 ). `` Airbus plays down fears over A380 future ''. Financial Times. Jump up ^ Tim Hepher ( 22 December 2014 ). `` UPDATE 1 - Airbus delivers first A350, rules out cancelling A380 project ''. Reuters. Jump up ^ Jens Flottau ( 24 April 2015 ). `` Airbus A380 Makes Maiden Flight ( 2005 ) ''. Aviation Week & Space Technology. Jump up ^ `` Airbus A380 Is the Plane Airlines Are n't Ordering Anymore ''. Andrea Rothman, Bloomberg. 27 April 2015. Jump up ^ `` New Airbus aircraft list prices for 2016 '' ( Press release ). Airbus. 12 January 2016. Jump up ^ Jens Flottau ( September 14, 2016 ). `` Singapore Airlines Wo n't Extend First Airbus A380 Lease ''. Aviation Daily. Aviation Week Network. Jump up ^ `` The A380 's future ''. AirInsight. 20 November 2015. Jump up ^ Rothman, Andrea ; Weiss, Richard. `` Used A380 superjumbos pose fresh threat to Airbus ' sales drive ''. Seattle Times. Retrieved 13 June 2015. Jump up ^ `` MAS to use A380s for pilgrimages, up seats to 700 ''. Flight Global. 21 October 2016. Jump up ^ Kurt Hofmann ( Jun 5, 2017 ). `` Malaysia Airlines targets 3Q 2018 for A380 charter carrier ''. Aviation Week Network. Jump up ^ Jamie Bullen ( 1 Jun 2017 ). `` Dr Peters considering A380 teardown : sources ''. Flightglobal. Jump up ^ `` Portuguese airline takes over two A380s ''. aerotelegraph.com. 26 August 2017. Jump up ^ `` Portuguese ACMI specialist Hi Fly to add A380s ''. ch-aviation.com. 26 August 2017. Jump up ^ `` Emirates orders 50 additional A380s, boosting fleet to 140 ''. Airbus. 17 November 2013. Jump up ^ Snodgrass, James ( 6 January 2009 ). `` Luxury living at 35,000 ft ''. CNN. Jump up ^ Dubois, Thierry. `` Airbus Cancels Only VVIP A380 Order Archived 27 April 2016 at the Wayback Machine. '' AINonline, 5 February 2015. Accessed : 16 February 2015. Jump up ^ `` Airbus names A380 delivery centre in Hamburg after Jürgen Thomas ''. Airbus. 4 July 2008. Archived from the original on 22 August 2008. Retrieved 13 October 2009. Jump up ^ Tim Hepher, Cyril Altmeyer ( 27 July 2012 ). `` EADS Sees One - Off Drop In A380 Deliveries Next Year ''. Reuters. Jump up ^ `` The 10 Biggest Aircraft Deals Of 2013 ''. International Business Times. 19 December 2013. Retrieved 1 April 2015. Jump up ^ Andrea Rothman ( 30 July 2014 ). `` Airbus Says Some A380s on Order May Not Be Delivered ''. Bloomberg.com. Jump up ^ `` Civil Aviation Programs To Watch ''. Aviation Week & Space Technology. Jun 9, 2017. Jump up ^ `` Historical Orders and Deliveries 1974 -- 2009 ''. Airbus S.A.S. January 2010. Archived from the original ( Microsoft Excel ) on 23 December 2010. Retrieved 10 December 2012. ^ Jump up to : `` Orders & Deliveries ''. Airbus. 31 August 2017. Retrieved 7 September 2017. Jump up ^ `` Air France gets Europe 's first A380 superjumbo ''. Agence France - Presse. 30 October 2009. Archived from the original on 2014 - 02 - 27. Jump up ^ `` Lufthansa flies German team to Johannesburg with A380 ''. Lufthansa. 7 April 2010. Jump up ^ Eun - joo, Lee ( 17 June 2011 ). `` East Asia 's first A380 goes into operation today ''. Korea JoongAng Daily. Archived from the original on 24 November 2011. Jump up ^ `` Airbus delivers China Southern Airlines ' first A380 ''. Airbus.com. 14 October 2011. Retrieved 22 October 2011. Jump up ^ `` China Southern Airlines receives its first ' Pearl of the sky ' A380 jetliner ''. Airbus.com. 14 October 2011. Retrieved 22 October 2011. Jump up ^ Platt, Craig ( 2 July 2012 ). `` Newest superjumbo takes off for Malaysia Airlines ''. The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 6 July 2012. Jump up ^ Singapore, Thai. `` A380 Fantasy Fares ''. thaiairways.com. Archived from the original on 2012 - 09 - 19. Retrieved 14 November 2012. Jump up ^ `` BA enters SuperJumbo age with... with a 90 - minute flight to Frankfurt '' Archived 22 July 2015 at the Wayback Machine... The Independent, 2 August 2013. Jump up ^ `` Asiana to Fly First A380 Flight on June 13 ''. airchive.com. 23 March 2014. Retrieved 13 June 2014. Jump up ^ `` Photos Qatar Airways A380 makes Doha debut ''. dohanews.com. 20 September 2014. Retrieved 20 September 2014. Jump up ^ `` Etihad launches debut A380 service to London ''. TradeArabia News Service. 27 December 2014. Retrieved 27 December 2014. Jump up ^ `` Biggest plane, shortest flight : Emirates launches A380 route from Dubai to Doha ''. The National. 1 December 2016. Retrieved 3 December 2016. Jump up ^ `` Subscribe to read ''. www.ft.com. Retrieved 2017 - 06 - 08. Jump up ^ `` Exceptional Air France Airbus A380 flights on London - Heathrow to Paris - CDG route ''. Air France. May 2010. Retrieved 12 April 2012. Jump up ^ `` Emirates A380 to take on world 's longest flight from Dubai to Auckland ''. The National. 23 June 2016. Retrieved 3 December 2016. Jump up ^ `` Airbus A380 occurrences ''. aviation-safety.net. 7 June 2017. Retrieved 9 June 2017. Jump up ^ `` Airbus A380 hull - losses ''. aviation-safety.net. 7 June 2017. Retrieved 9 June 2017. Jump up ^ `` Indonesians collect debris from Qantas plane engine ''. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 4 November 2010. Retrieved 3 April 2011. Jump up ^ `` Inflight engine failure -- Qantas, Airbus A380, VH - OQA, overhead Batam Island, Indonesia, 4 November 2010 '' Archived 6 November 2016 at the Wayback Machine... Australian Transport Safety Bureau, 18 May 2011. Jump up ^ Peter Walker ( 5 November 2010 ). `` Qantas A380 landing : Airlines were warned in August over engine safety ''. Airportwatch.org.uk. Archived from the original on 2013 - 10 - 21. Retrieved 3 April 2011. Jump up ^ Chong, Jordan ( 20 April 2012 ). `` Qantas A380 back in the air, ' as good as new ' ''. Herald - Sun. Retrieved 21 April 2012. Jump up ^ `` Qantas replaces RR engines '' Archived 23 March 2013 at the Wayback Machine... The Guardian, 18 November 2010. Retrieved 25 June 2012. ^ Jump up to : `` Type Certificate Data Sheet '' ( PDF ). EASA. 11 December 2015. ^ Jump up to : `` A380 Prestige Specifications '' ( PDF ). Airbus. Jump up ^ `` Airbus A380 Aircraft Profile ''. Flight Global. 27 February 2007. Jump up ^ `` A380 powers on through flight - test ''. Flight International. 20 December 2005. Jump up ^ `` Airbus A380 Type Certificate Data Sheet '' ( PDF ). Federal Aviation Authority. May 27, 2014. Jump up ^ `` A380 Aircraft Characteristics -- Airport and Maintenance Planning '' ( PDF ). Airbus. 1 December 2015. Bibliography Norris, Guy ; Wagner, Mark ( 2005 ). Airbus A380 : Superjumbo of the 21st Century. Zenith Press. ISBN 978 - 0 - 7603 - 2218 - 5. Further reading `` Hotels in the Sky ''. Popular Mechanics. 178. Hearst Magazines. March 2001. Moir, Ian ; Allan G. Seabridge ; Malcolm Jukes ( 2003 ). Civil avionics systems. Professional Engineering. ISBN 1 - 86058 - 342 - 3. Pearman, Hugh ( 2004 ). Airports : a century of architecture. Laurence King. ISBN 1 - 85669 - 356 - 2. Javier Alfonso Gil ( 2007 ). European aeronautics : the Southwestern axis. Springer. ISBN 3 - 540 - 35646 - 0. Maxwell, David ( 2007 ). Airbus A380 : Superjumbo on World Tour. Zenith Press. ISBN 0 - 7603 - 3279 - 7. Simons, Graham M. ( 2014 ). The Airbus A380 : A History. Barnsley, UK : Pen & Sword Aviation. ISBN 9781783030415. External links Wikimedia Commons has media related to : Airbus A380 ( category ) External image Airbus A380 - 800 cutaway Airbus A380 - 800 cutaway from Flightglobal.com Official Airbus A380 page, A380 Navigator Everything about the A380 at FlightGlobal.com `` Special Report on the A380 ''. ( 1.58 MB ) A380 cutaway diagram Photographs of every stage of construction of the Airbus A380 by Mark Power Airbus civilian aircraft production timeline, 1970s -- present 1970s 1980s 1990s 2000s 2010s 0 5 6 7 8 9 0 5 6 7 8 9 0 5 6 7 8 9 0 5 6 7 8 9 0 5 6 7 8 9 Airbus A300 Airbus A310 Airbus A318 Airbus A319 Airbus A320 Airbus A321 Airbus A320neo family Airbus A330 Airbus A330neo Airbus A340 Airbus A350 XWB Airbus A380 = Narrow - body = Wide - body Aircraft of Airbus Aeroplanes Civil A300 A300 Beluga A310 A320 family ( A318 / A319 / A320 / A321 ) A320neo family A330 A330 Beluga XL A340 A350 XWB A380 E-Fan ( experimental ) Thor ( UAV ) ( experimental ) A330neo ( in development ) NSR ( proposed ) Airbus Corporate Jets Military ( Defence and Space division ) A310 MRTT CC - 150 Polaris A330 MRTT A400M C212 CN235 C295 HC - 144 Mako / HEAT ( defunct ) KC - 45 ( proposed ) Eurofighter Typhoon Helicopters ( Helicopters devision ) Civil BK 117 EC120 ( H120 ) EC130 ( H130 ) EC135 ( H135 ) EC145 ( H145 ) EC155 ( H155 ) H160 EC175 ( H175 ) EC225 ( H225 ) AS332 ( H215 ) AS350 ( H125 ) AS355 SA / AS365 X3 ( experimental ) X6 Military AS532 AS550 ( H125M ) / AS555 AS565 EC635 ( H135M ) EC645 ( H145M ) EC665 EC725 ( H225M ) HH / MH - 65 NH90 UH - 72 European Union portal Aviation portal GND : 4644751 - 9 Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Airbus_A380&oldid=802446108 '' Categories : Airbus A380 Airbus aircraft International airliners 2000 -- 2009 Quadjets Low - wing aircraft Aircraft first flown in 2005 Hidden categories : Webarchive template wayback links All articles with dead external links Articles with dead external links from April 2017 Articles with permanently dead external links CS1 French - language sources ( fr ) Articles with dead external links from November 2016 Articles with dead external links from June 2016 CS1 German - language sources ( de ) CS1 maint : BOT : original - url status unknown Articles containing potentially dated statements from August 2017 All articles containing potentially dated statements Articles containing potentially dated statements from 2014 Articles containing potentially dated statements from July 2012 Articles containing potentially dated statements from 2016 All articles with failed verification Articles with failed verification from June 2017 Articles containing potentially dated statements from June 2017 All pages needing factual verification Wikipedia articles needing factual verification from October 2016 Good articles EngvarB from April 2014 Use dmy dates from April 2014 Wikipedia articles with GND identifiers Articles which contain graphical timelines Articles containing video clips Talk Variants Contents About Wikipedia Wikimedia Commons Afrikaans Alemannisch Azərbaycanca বাংলা Беларуская ( тарашкевіца ) ‎ Български Boarisch Bosanski Brezhoneg Català Cebuano Čeština Cymraeg Dansk Deutsch Eesti Ελληνικά Español Esperanto Euskara فارسی Français Frysk Galego ગુજરાતી 한국어 Հայերեն हिन्दी Hrvatski Bahasa Indonesia Íslenska Italiano עברית Basa Jawa ქართული Қазақша Latina Latviešu Lëtzebuergesch Lietuvių Magyar Македонски മലയാളം मराठी Bahasa Melayu Монгол မြန်မာဘာသာ Nederlands 日本 語 Norsk Norsk nynorsk Occitan Polski Português Ripoarisch Română Русский Scots Sesotho sa Leboa සිංහල Simple English Slovenčina Slovenščina Српски / srpski Srpskohrvatski / српскохрватски Suomi Svenska Tagalog தமிழ் Татарча / tatarça తెలుగు ไทย Türkçe Українська Tiếng Việt ייִדיש 粵語 中文 Edit links This page was last edited on 26 September 2017, at 05 : 31. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution - ShareAlike License ; additional terms may apply. By using this site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Wikipedia ® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization. About Wikipedia

Question: how many engines does the biggest plane have
Answer: four