....and how much is LH spending? U.S. Airports Not Ready For Airbus A380, Says Lufthansa By Steve Lott 03/09/2004 10:36:20 AM Lufthansa executives declared yesterday that the largest U.S. airports are not ready to accept the Airbus A380 and a lot of work must be done before the carrier can feel comfortable from an operational perspective landing the plane on U.S. soil. Even though the airline won't begin operating the super jumbo aircraft until 2007 and a lot of improvements can be made in three years, Executive VP-Operations Carl Sigel said only a few airports around the world could handle the A380 and he has his doubts if some facilities in the U.S. and Asia can tackle the problems. While there has been a lot of focus on how an airport's runways and taxiways will be able to accommodate the plane, Sigel believes gates pose the most significant problem. Sigel told reporters in Frankfurt yesterday that he would prefer airports have at least two loading bridges and preferably three on two different levels. The double-decker A380 will carry 35% more passengers than the Boeing 747-400, and Sigel said it could take more than two hours to turn an A380 under current conditions. He noted that Los Angeles and New York Kennedy are not yet ready for the A380 and need gate upgrades. The good news is that Lufthansa's two main Frankfurt and Munich hubs are already prepared for the A380. Frankfurt has several gates that allow loading and unloading on two floors. Sigel said the airline has a special project group of about 40 staffers preparing for the A380 and is working with local airport authorities around the world. Sigel suggested that the resistance to upgraded gates at U.S. airports might be both a political and a funding issue. It is not only a U.S. problem, he added, because the airline has some questions about airports in Asia, as well. Roger EWROPS