Here's what a good friend of mine has to say about the A380 and the problems= =20 it will create at airports, with specific information on LAX runways so=20 everyone can understand the magnitude of the problems. What a pile of horse= manure=20 for everyone else operating at the airport and especially the air traffic=20 controllers! Jose Prize ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ > >> Well, here we go. =A0I had been predicting this. =A0The manufacturer an= d the=20 >> ordering airlines have been blind to the obvious... many major airports=20 >> will not be able to handle the A380 without hundreds of millions of dolla= rs of=20 >> expenses in capital programs to re-size and re-space the runways, taxiway= s,=20 >> and aprons. =A0 >>=20 >> What's going to happen is that there will be a few airports that can pret= ty=20 >> much handle it, a large number of airports that will take it with moderat= e=20 >> restrictions, and a few airports that can only take it with huge cripplin= g=20 >> restrictions. =A0 >>=20 >> LAX will be in the last category... The A380 will operate only on the nor= th=20 >> runways (which are not long enough for full loads on takeoff); When it is= =20 >> on 24L, the longer of the two, nothing bigger than about a 757 can be on=20= the=20 >> main parallel east-west taxiway (E); When it is on E, nothing bigger than= =20 >> about a 757 can be on 24L -- the likely route to taxi to takeoff on 24L w= ill=20 >> be to back-taxi on 6L-24R to get to 24L. When it is taking off on 24L,=20 >> nothing can operate on 24R (and vice versa) -- larger planes will dimensi= onally=20 >> conflict and smaller planes will wake-turbulence conflict. =A0It will not= be=20 >> able to use any gates at any of the central terminals -- it will be exclu= sively=20 >> limited to the remote stands on the far west side of the field, with=20 >> passengers being bussed to and from the terminals. =A0In occasional emerg= encies, the=20 >> A380 will need to land on south runway 25L, the only 200' wide runway, an= d=20 >> the entire south field will be pretty much closed to widebodies until it=20= is=20 >> carefully towed to the northside. >>=20 >> Other airports like SFO and SEA will have similar problems, perhaps=20 >> slightly less severe. =A0Airports like JFK, LHR, and CDG will not have=20 >> runway-to-runway restrictions, but will have many runway-to-taxiway and t= axiway-to-taxiway=20 >> restrictions. =A0These will cause high ATC workload, and significant dela= ys,=20 >> especially in bad weather or during congested times. =A0Every now and the= n=20 >> someone will not remember a restriction from onerously long lists, and th= ere=20 >> will be incidents. =A0Altogether, the economic advantage of lower seat-mi= le=20 >> costs will not be worth the costs of delays. =A0Airlines will realize thi= s and=20 >> cancel some orders or try to sell off some of the planes at a loss.=20 >>=20 >> The program will lose EADS billions of dollars in the first 10 years.=20= =A0By=20 >> 2020, though, enough airports will have been reconfigured that A380-size=20 >> plans can operate more normally, and by 2030 you'll see a lot of updated=20= A380's=20 >> and probably a competitior in the air.=20 >> ------ >>=20 Thinking more about this. =A0Another option at LAX might be to create a coup= le=20 of A380 remote parking positions north of the west side of 25L and 25R, near= =20 the Continental hangar. =A0That would make it easier for A380 to land on 25L= , the=20 only 200' wide runway, and a bit easier to take off on 25L or even 25R. =A0T= his=20 would gain use of longer wider runways. =A0 But there would be taxiing restrictions and side-by-side restrictions on the= =20 south runways similar to those for =A0the north runways. =A0While A380 is on= the=20 main parallel taxiway, nothing bigger than about a 757 can be on 25R. =A0Whi= le=20 A380 operates on one of the 25's, =A0nothing can operate on the other. =A0Th= e taxi=20 route for the A380 to get to one of the 25's would probably have to be for i= t=20 to back-taxi on the other. =A0(All the taxiways around the terminals affect=20= both=20 the adjacent runways and the existing 747/777 gates on the ends of the=20 satellites.) =A0Mega delays for all. =A0 I'm sure that LAX, Airbus, and the A380 airlines like Virgin will try very=20 hard to appeal for all kinds of waivers from FAA for wingtip clearance and=20 obstruction limit surfaces. =A0They will act like that is the easy and foreg= one=20 conclusion. =A0If FAA caves, which they might, I think it will not be long b= efore=20 there is an incident or accident. =A0 In a message dated 12/2/2003 9:31:45 PM Eastern Standard Time,=20 dmueller7@xxxxxxxxx writes: > Subj: Re: AIRLINE Digest - 28 Nov 2003 to 29 Nov 2003 (#2003-196)=20 > Date: 12/2/2003 9:31:45 PM Eastern Standard Time > From: <A HREF=3D"mailto:dmueller7@xxxxxxxxx";>dmueller7@xxxxxxxxx</A> > To: <A HREF=3D"mailto:AIRLINE@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx";>AIRLINE@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx= U</A> > Sent from the Internet=20 >=20 > Alireza Alivandivafa <DEmocrat2n@xxxxxxx> wrote: > >Another thing about VS using the A380 into LAX is its length. I am not=20 > sure > >their current gate at T2 could hold it without it possibly intruding onto= =20 > the > >taxiways. >=20 > It's been previously noted that the A380 will have to use the remote stand= s=20 > at the west end of the airport. So fitting the A380 at T2 is not an issue= . =20 > Passengers would board busses at gate 22A, which is currently used by the=20 > American Eagle bus to pickup Northwest and Hawaiian passengers connecing t= o=20 > Eagle flights. A couple years ago I flew out of LAX on Omni Air Internati= onal;=20 > the aircraft was parked at the remotes and we boarded busses at 22A. >=20 > Fitting an A380's load of passengers at 22A would be another issue entirel= y,=20 > it was pretty crowded with a less-than-full 380-pax DC-10. >=20 > --- > David Mueller / MRY > dmueller7@xxxxxxxxx > http://www.quanterium.com >=20