Feature: airbus v boeing
T
he stakes are sky high: the purse is worth £63 billion a year in sales of all
types of aircraft, with those that roll off the production lines in Toulouse and Seattle representing a significant proportion of the global output. First quarter figures for 2012 revealed the major contenders were almost equal on points. Airbus reported the delivery of 131 aircraft, a year-on-year increase of 10%, while Boeing rolled out 137 to its customers, up 32% on the same period in 2011. While short- and medium-haul types are included in the figures, the current focus for both manufacturers is on the long-haul segment of the market. Here, Airbus’ future is reliant on the A380 Superjumbo; Boeing’s on the B787 Dreamliner, and a larger version of the venerable Boeing 747, the new B747-8, due to enter passenger service with Lufthansa this spring.
“Airbus is a proponent of hub and spoke operations, Boeing supports direct point- to-point flights.... without intermediate stops”
Although it is working on the A350, designed
to fly in direct competition with the B787 from 2014, Airbus is currently concentrating on the A380. It had firm orders for 253 in February 2012, the largest from Emirates with 90. Entering passenger service with Singapore Airlines in 2007, the Superjumbo is the largest- ever passenger aircraft, its statistics mind boggling. A double-decker, its tailfin eight storeys high, it has 50% more cabin space than the Boeing 747-400, and provides seating for 550 passengers in three-class configuration or over 800 in all-economy layout. Such dimensions led to much early speculation about the extras and benefits the A380 could offer. There was talk of onboard duty-free shops, two-deck restaurants, gyms and even cinemas – but that was all pie in the sky as it transpired. Putting the situation in a commercially
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www.onboardhospitality.com
skies battle of the
realistic perspective, Akbar Al Baker, head of Qatar Airways, which has five A380s on order, said some years ago that airlines would concentrate on utilising the space for passengers rather than goodies. A glance at the facilities aboard the Super Jumbos in service confirms the prediction. As Airbus points out, the emphasis is on cabin comfort and eco-efficiency, the lowest fuel burn and operating costs in commercial aviation, and revenue generation. Singapore Airlines, for example, claims to
have the widest seat in long-haul business class at 34 inches, which transforms to the
largest fully-flat executive class bed in the sky. And for those who prefer to work on board, the seat converts to an office, with a height- adjustable table, well-positioned reading light, laptop power supply, USB ports and office applications available on the KrisWorld entertainment system. Air France, too, provides a lie-flat bed in business class on its A380s, the cabin split into two with a gallery area exhibiting digital artwork and stand-up bars on either side of the aircraft. Emirates claims a number of A380 innovations. It certainly delivers in first class,
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