----- Original Message ----- From: "Bahadir Acuner" <bahadiracuner@xxxxxxxxx> To: <AIRLINE@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> Sent: Wednesday, June 16, 2004 21:36 Subject: Re: [AIRLINE] SFGate: Virgin to buy Airbus airplanes/Branson names carrier; executive lineup announced : For pax transportation expect Boeing to get out of that business in next 20 : years completely. : And what do you base this on? Right now, Airbus and Boeing both have about half the large airliner (737/A319 and up) market. If either one gets out of the pax airliner business, I think it will be Airbus. They have the A380 coming up and that aircraft will put a strain on the company. The aircraft is really is limited to the airports it can serve due to the runway length, terminal facilities required, and size. Runway: The A380 takes a lot of runway to take off. While there are many airports with the required runway length, there are many more airports with lots of traffic but not a long runway. Terminal facilities: This aircraft will take more than 1 gate at many airports because of its wingspan. Size: There are questions about being able to evacuate the aircraft with a full load of passengers during the 90 seconds the FAA requires. Passengers also like high frequencies. This means lower capacity aircraft. I do think the A380 will make a great cargo aircraft. Cargo doesn't care about frequencies - a single flight a day between two points is can be sufficient. David R