A380s may slow air travel by delaying takeoffs=20 By James Kanter and Don Phillips International Herald Tribune Published: September 29, 2006 PARIS A major study by global aviation officials has concluded that the A38= 0 superjumbo made by Airbus could slow down traffic at already heavily cong= ested airports, a development that could cast another shadow over the Europ= ean plane maker's flagship project.=20 =20 The news came as the Airbus chief executive, Christian Streiff, met Friday = with board members of his parent company, European Aeronautic Defense & Spa= ce, in Amsterdam to discuss the A380 and plot a new course for the stumblin= g European plane maker.=20 =20 Production of the A380 is more than a year behind schedule due to wiring pr= oblems and factory bottlenecks. There is no new timetable for the 555-seate= r yet and at least one major customer, Emirates, has said that its order wa= s "up in the air."=20 =20 In the new report, aviation authorities concluded that aircraft taking off = or landing behind an A380 would have to wait longer than is currently the c= ase for any other aircraft in service, including Boeing's 747.=20 =20 The three-year study showed that the A380, while no greater problem than an= y other large aircraft in most phases of flight, produces a wake vortex on = takeoff and landing that remains potentially dangerous to other aircraft fo= r a longer period than other large aircraft, like the 747.=20 =20 A wake vortex is air that flows off wingtips and can spin at high speeds fo= r several minutes, particularly in still air.=20 =20 Larger airliners would have to wait an additional two minutes, and smaller = airliners three additional minutes, while taking off behind the A380. On la= nding, an additional minute would be added, up to three additional minutes = for heavy aircraft and four minutes for lighter aircraft like an Airbus A32= 0 or a Boeing 737.=20 =20 This likely would be no problem at nonpeak flight periods at major airports= , but could cause delays during peak periods. Unfortunately, A380 operation= s would often come at peak periods at these airports because international = long-distance flights are often bunched at certain times of the day.=20 =20 The study noted that there should be no problem for aircraft making simulta= neous takeoffs or landings with an A380 on parallel runways as long as thos= e runways are at least 2,500 feet, or 762 meters, apart. But such landings = should be monitored to gain more information, it said.=20 =20 It was not clear what actual impact the constraints would have, however.=20 =20 Damon Hunt, a spokesman for the British airport operator BAA, said London H= eathrow Airport was still waiting for instructions from the British governm= ent on how to space the A380 with other aircraft.=20 =20 Even so, Hunt said operators at Heathrow favored introducing the A380 becau= se the airport already is running up against its limit of 480,000 takeoffs = and landings each year.=20 =20 "The only way to get people moving through the airport is to have a higher = number of passengers, and that's why the A380 is important for us," said Hu= nt. "Larger aircraft make more efficient use of the runway and it's importa= nt to keep that trend going."=20 =20 Streiff, who became Airbus's chief executive in July, has set himself 100 d= ays to produce a plan to take the company out of a tailspin that started in= June, when it was forced to announce that A380 deliveries would be delayed= by up to six months. Another delay was announced Sept. 21.=20 =20 In addition, Airbus has had to go back to the drawing board on the mid-size= d A350, its challenger to Boeing's popular 787 Dreamliner. So far it has on= ly secured one commitment for 20 of the redesigned planes, while Boeing has= 377 orders for the Dreamliner.=20 =20 On Friday, EADS issued a terse statement confirming that the board talked a= bout the A380 and would "continue this discussion in the near future."=20 =20 "There were no decisions," said an EADS spokesman, Christian Poppe, in Muni= ch.=20 =20 Unions, however, have accused EADS management of seeking to shift jobs abro= ad.=20 =20 The Communist-led CGT trade union said on Thursday that the company planned= to use the latest delays to accelerate outsourcing of production away from= Europe, according to Agence France-Presse.=20 =20 "This is wrong, nobody has said that," said Poppe, the EADS spokesman.=20 =20 Streiff intends to deepen a previous cost-cutting program called Route 06 t= hat foresaw =E2=82=AC1.5 billion, or $1.9 billion, of cost savings per year= starting in 2006, AFP cited the union as saying.=20 =20 Poppe said that the cost-savings program expires at the end of this year, b= ut had no comment on any deepening of those cuts.=20 =20 According to a report in the French daily Les =C3=89chos, Streiff could be = preparing to announce a further delay of at least six months and deliveries= of just four A380s during 2007. The report in Les =C3=89chos also said Str= eiff was planning to make all single-aisle A320 aircraft in Germany.=20 =20 Analysts have predicted that Airbus would soon be forced to follow the exam= ple of Boeing, which increasingly has begun to transfer production of compo= nents for its planes to low-wage countries like China and India.=20 =20 Large chunks of Boeing's latest plane are being made outside the United Sta= tes. But in the case of Airbus, most major components like wings, fuselage = and final assembly are being constructed in Europe.=20 =20 Don Phillips contributed reporting from Washington.=20 =20 PARIS A major study by global aviation officials has concluded that the A38= 0 superjumbo made by Airbus could slow down traffic at already heavily cong= ested airports, a development that could cast another shadow over the Europ= ean plane maker's flagship project.=20 =20 The news came as the Airbus chief executive, Christian Streiff, met Friday = with board members of his parent company, European Aeronautic Defense & Spa= ce, in Amsterdam to discuss the A380 and plot a new course for the stumblin= g European plane maker.=20 =20 Production of the A380 is more than a year behind schedule due to wiring pr= oblems and factory bottlenecks. There is no new timetable for the 555-seate= r yet and at least one major customer, Emirates, has said that its order wa= s "up in the air."=20 =20 In the new report, aviation authorities concluded that aircraft taking off = or landing behind an A380 would have to wait longer than is currently the c= ase for any other aircraft in service, including Boeing's 747.=20 =20 The three-year study showed that the A380, while no greater problem than an= y other large aircraft in most phases of flight, produces a wake vortex on = takeoff and landing that remains potentially dangerous to other aircraft fo= r a longer period than other large aircraft, like the 747.=20 =20 A wake vortex is air that flows off wingtips and can spin at high speeds fo= r several minutes, particularly in still air.=20 =20 Larger airliners would have to wait an additional two minutes, and smaller = airliners three additional minutes, while taking off behind the A380. On la= nding, an additional minute would be added, up to three additional minutes = for heavy aircraft and four minutes for lighter aircraft like an Airbus A32= 0 or a Boeing 737.=20 =20 This likely would be no problem at nonpeak flight periods at major airports= , but could cause delays during peak periods. Unfortunately, A380 operation= s would often come at peak periods at these airports because international = long-distance flights are often bunched at certain times of the day.=20 =20 The study noted that there should be no problem for aircraft making simulta= neous takeoffs or landings with an A380 on parallel runways as long as thos= e runways are at least 2,500 feet, or 762 meters, apart. But such landings = should be monitored to gain more information, it said.=20 =20 It was not clear what actual impact the constraints would have, however.=20 =20 Damon Hunt, a spokesman for the British airport operator BAA, said London H= eathrow Airport was still waiting for instructions from the British governm= ent on how to space the A380 with other aircraft.=20 =20 Even so, Hunt said operators at Heathrow favored introducing the A380 becau= se the airport already is running up against its limit of 480,000 takeoffs = and landings each year.=20 =20 "The only way to get people moving through the airport is to have a higher = number of passengers, and that's why the A380 is important for us," said Hu= nt. "Larger aircraft make more efficient use of the runway and it's importa= nt to keep that trend going."=20 =20 Streiff, who became Airbus's chief executive in July, has set himself 100 d= ays to produce a plan to take the company out of a tailspin that started in= June, when it was forced to announce that A380 deliveries would be delayed= by up to six months. Another delay was announced Sept. 21.=20 =20 In addition, Airbus has had to go back to the drawing board on the mid-size= d A350, its challenger to Boeing's popular 787 Dreamliner. So far it has on= ly secured one commitment for 20 of the redesigned planes, while Boeing has= 377 orders for the Dreamliner.=20 =20 On Friday, EADS issued a terse statement confirming that the board talked a= bout the A380 and would "continue this discussion in the near future."=20 =20 "There were no decisions," said an EADS spokesman, Christian Poppe, in Muni= ch.=20 =20 Unions, however, have accused EADS management of seeking to shift jobs abro= ad.=20 =20 The Communist-led CGT trade union said on Thursday that the company planned= to use the latest delays to accelerate outsourcing of production away from= Europe, according to Agence France-Presse.=20 =20 "This is wrong, nobody has said that," said Poppe, the EADS spokesman.=20 =20 Streiff intends to deepen a previous cost-cutting program called Route 06 t= hat foresaw =E2=82=AC1.5 billion, or $1.9 billion, of cost savings per year= starting in 2006, AFP cited the union as saying.=20 =20 Poppe said that the cost-savings program expires at the end of this year, b= ut had no comment on any deepening of those cuts.=20 =20 According to a report in the French daily Les =C3=89chos, Streiff could be = preparing to announce a further delay of at least six months and deliveries= of just four A380s during 2007. The report in Les =C3=89chos also said Str= eiff was planning to make all single-aisle A320 aircraft in Germany.=20 =20 Analysts have predicted that Airbus would soon be forced to follow the exam= ple of Boeing, which increasingly has begun to transfer production of compo= nents for its planes to low-wage countries like China and India.=20 =20 Large chunks of Boeing's latest plane are being made outside the United Sta= tes. But in the case of Airbus, most major components like wings, fuselage = and final assembly are being constructed in Europe.=20 =20 Don Phillips contributed reporting from Washington. =20 =20 View our videos at: http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=3Dewrw4co =20 Roger & Amanda La France