The Technology Context – B101
Airbus A380
Less than two years after the ‘retirement’ of Concorde, the previous iconic figure of commercial aircraft, the Airbus A380 was unveiled and dispatched on its maiden flight from Toulouse Airport in France. But speed and elegance were no longer seen of particular importance; the way forward was now mass transport, and the bigger the better. Soon the term Superjumbo was coined and debate began as to whether air transport on this massive scale would be more or less sustainable than the current situation.
With the capacity to carry up to 853 passengers, and a range to carry them over 15,000km at a cruising speed of Mach 0.85, the A380 is definitely a phenomenal feat of engineering.
When it comes to CO2 emissions, the A380 is certainly an innovative way to combat the damaging effect air travel is seen to have on the environment. It burns 17 per cent less fuel per passenger than the previous largest passenger aircraft, the Boeing 747, and of course this means travelling on the A380 over a 747 or indeed most other aircraft reduces your ‘Carbon Footprint’ a great deal. As well as this operational benefit, the A380’s construction and development has set an example in how to best reduce its environmental performance throughout its entire life. Airbus strongly encouraged minimal environmental impact from its suppliers and with this has, right the way down the supply chain, created a new ethos of using innovative technology and working with the rest of the industry to sustain the current trend of growth.
As well as these environmental constraints, another consideration in developing the A380 was the rapid growth in air travel and the capacity of airports and airline companies to deal with it. With demand increasing day by day, it is argued that the A380 is needed to tackle this growth; as the current size aircraft and the cost of running greater volumes of them was certainly unsustainable. Its arrival has pushed forward the further development of the ground infrastructure, especially at airports where terminal buildings have been modernised in time for the arrival of the A380 with 3 ‘skyways’ between the two different levels of the plane, for the efficient loading and unloading of the massive amount of passengers the plane will be moving. The actual design of the plane was done in collaboration with more than 60 major airports to ensure compatibility.
Will, however, the A380 be enough for years to come? Will there be a necessity in the future for more than what the A380 offers? Is it even enough now?
Plan of Inquiry
- Is the Airbus A380 ‘Superjumbo’ a sustainable method of air transportation?
- Discuss the conception of the A380 and why a similar Boeing project was dropped.
- Environmental impact of the A380 in the terms of the rest of the air travel industry and other methods of long-distance transport.
- Growth in the air travel sector and whether the A380 will impact the trend, and what the effect of more or less growth in air travel will be on the environment and society
- Will it actually be effective both technically and commercially?
- Are there other ways to ensure a sustainable future for long-distance transport?
- Secondary research from
- Will the superjumbo concept that has been started be what is needed to solve the current problems with air travel and those still to come?
Many, including myself, believe that the only sustainable way for commercial aviation is for everyone to stay at home and aircraft to stay on the ground. But while this is not even considered an option in the medium-term (with an A380 expected to run for over 50 years), and ways of further decreasing environmental impact taking a back seat to the A380, perhaps dividing the ‘footprint’ as much as possible between the more passengers on board is a start.
