The largest aircraft in the world is the A380. Cabin layout and best seats of the Airbus A380 airline Emirates

03.11.2020

The Airbus A380 is the largest passenger aircraft in the world. In a single-class configuration, it can carry 853 passengers; there is also the A380-1000 project, which accommodates 1,073 passengers in economy class.

2. The Airbus A380 made its first flight on April 27, 2005, and began operation on October 25, 2007. This month we will celebrate our 10th anniversary.

3. Several countries are involved in the production of the airliner. The main sections of the airliner are being built at plants in France, Great Britain, Germany and Spain. Russia also did not stand aside. Employees of the Airbus ECAR Engineering Center in Moscow, the first design bureau created by the concern in Europe outside the territories of its member countries in June 2003, took part in the design of the A380F. Russian designers carry out a significant amount of work on the design of fuselage parts, strength calculations, placement of on-board equipment and support of serial production of aircraft.

4. Airbus is a very open company and often organizes events for aviation enthusiasts. On October 1, together with Domodedovo Airport, another spotting was carried out. To get to spotting, follow the accounts of Airbus and Domodedovo Airport. But if you don't want to wait, you can take a photo of the Airbus from behind the fence, now you can do this during daylight hours and every day.

5. Wingspan Airbus A380 is 79.75 m, and the wing area is 845 m². The A380 wing is sized for maximum take-off weight over 650 tons. The flight range for the A380-800 model is 15,400 km.

6. The take-off run of the airliner is 2050 m, the run length is 2900 m.

Cruising speed is 900 km/h and maximum speed is 1020 km/h.

7. Domodedovo Airport became the first airport certified to receive the A380. For this we had to buy special equipment. For example, the height of the aircraft is 24.09 m - this is an eight-story building. You need to get to such a height, for example.
By the way, the equipment must be delivered due to its large size.

8. Currently, Domodedovo Airport remains the only airport in Russia that receives the Airbus A380 on a regular basis. From October 1st Airbus A380 Emirates airlines flies on the route Dubai - Moscow - Dubai.

9. There are known cases of A380 being manufactured according to special orders from private individuals. The first to order his personal Airbus A380 Super Jumbo was Saudi Prince Al-Waleed bin Talal, nephew of King Abdullah. The order price is $488 million.

10. Currently, 215 Airbus A380 aircraft have been produced in the world, orders have been received for another 100 aircraft. On average, Airbus now produces about 30 A380 aircraft per year.

Thanks to the employees of Airbus and Domodedovo Airport for the invitation to spotting. It was great.

The giant double-deck Airbus A380 is the largest passenger aircraft in the history of world aviation, with a maximum capacity of 853 passengers in a single-class configuration. The first copy was delivered to the customer in 2007; to date, more than 110 vehicles have been built! Today I want to show the A380 assembly line at the Toulouse plant, the scale and size of what I saw is impressive... Well, big plane- large photos in the report!

Many spotters, and not only them, consider the plane aesthetically unattractive. I categorically disagree with this statement, moreover, I think it is especially beautiful and elegantly heavy. The A380 taking off slowly is beautiful!

Now let's go to the factory...

This is a diagram of the location of production facilities at a plant in the town of Balagnac near Toulouse, orange is the A380 assembly shops.

Each A380 aircraft consists of approximately 4 million individual components and 2.5 million parts, manufactured by 1,500 companies in 30 countries.

The main elements of the A380 fuselage cannot be transported by air, so they are transported by sea and river on specially adapted barges, and then twice a month by car - this is called "night convoy".

Especially for this Airbus aircraft has developed a unique logistics system that involves sea, river, air and road transport. From the town of Lisle-Jourdain, approximately 30 km from Blagnac, at exactly 22:00, the night convoy begins moving at a speed of 15-20 km/h, so as not to interfere with traffic - six trailers on which all parts of the aircraft are placed depart in a two-hour way to the final point - the final assembly line in Blagnac.

Fuselage sections with a diameter of 7 meters are transported straight through the narrow streets of the town. But this is the only possible and most optimal point for delivery of aircraft elements to the plant.

At the first station, the fuselage sections are assembled and connected to each other

Then the wings and vertical stabilizer are installed:

The wing area of the A380 is 845 m2, which is 54% more than that of the Boeing 747-400!

And it's not just a tail... it's FIVE giraffes! :)

Preparation of engine pylons:

The aircraft is assembled and the passenger compartment and cockpit are installed at the following positions:

Each of the main landing gear can withstand a load of up to 260 tons, which is equivalent to the weight of 200 Golf cars

And finally, the last assembly station, where the installation of engines and passenger seats is carried out:

The A380 can be equipped with two types of engines: Rolls-Royce Trent 900 or Engine Alliance GP7000. Only two of the four engines are equipped with thrust reversers.
Reducing noise levels was an important design requirement for the A380, which was partly reflected in the design of the engines. Both engine types enable the aircraft to meet London Heathrow Airport noise limits QC/2 on departure and QC/0.5 on arrival.

The A380 is the most fuel-efficient aircraft in its category. This is the only long-haul airliner that consumes less than 3 liters of fuel to transport a passenger per 100 km (typical layout of 525 seats)

The total area of the A380 cabin is 554 m2. Two full decks: the main deck is the widest passenger cabin in the world (6.5 m); upper deck – full salon wide-body aircraft(5.8 m). The aircraft's air conditioning system is equipped with the most modern filters, which ensure uniform air supply to all parts of the aircraft. The air in the aircraft cabin (volume 1570 m3) is completely replaced every three minutes! The A380 has the quietest passenger cabin in the history of world aviation, I was personally convinced of this on the way from Frankfurt to Singapore.

This A380 will presumably be transferred to a private customer. And behind it, the A300B is the first aircraft produced by Airbus. This plane made a coup in civil aviation 70s, becoming the first wide-body twin-engine aircraft.

The circular structure on the right is the static engine testing area, with barriers around the circle limiting the distribution of the sound wave.

To date, more than 110 A380 aircraft have been produced; an average of 2.5 aircraft are produced and delivered to customers every month. The order backlog is another 160 aircraft! IN this moment The A380 is in service with 20 airlines.
Here are some interesting statistics on B777/B747 replacement on some flights:

And the A380 occupancy rate is also not lower than 80%:

Emirates has the largest A380 fleet:

Five A380s were built for demonstration and testing purposes. The first A380, serial number MSN001 and registration F-WWOW, was unveiled at a ceremony in Toulouse on January 18, 2005, and first flew on April 27, 2005. Here is the very first A380:

The assembly shops of the Airbus plant can be visited by everyone! 2-3 hour tours are organized both in Hamburg and Toulouse, costing 10-15 euros. Pre-reservation is required (!), especially if it is important to get into a group with an English-speaking guide; read the links for additional and current conditions.

Emirates Airlines currently has the world's largest fleet of Airbus class aircraft. And it was this airline that made the world's first order for the delivery of the double-deck giant A380. In total, as of April 2018, Emirates had 95 Airbus A380-800 aircraft in its fleet.

The largest carrier on international routes, Emirates Airlines, has existed since 1985. Regular flights have been established to 150 airports in 80 countries, including daily flights to Russia at Domodedovo and Pulkovo airports.

In addition, from Moscow and St. Petersburg, Emirates flies to international destinations: to the Asia-Pacific region, the Middle East, Africa, Europe, South and North America.

Airbus A380-800

The Airbus A380-800 is a double-deck long-haul passenger airliner with four engines. Among commercial passenger aircraft is in third place in terms of size and in first place in terms of the number of passengers. Manufactured by Airbus.

The longest flight was made by Airbus A380-800 Emirates in March 2016 from Dubai to Auckland ( New Zealand). The airliner covered 14,200 km without landing in 16 hours 24 minutes.

Flight performance

Crew: 2-3 pilots and 22 flight attendants
Designer: Airbus
Manufacturer: Airbus
First flight: April 27, 2005
In production: since 2007

Dimensions

Length: 72.72 m
Wingspan: 79.75 m
Fuselage diameter: 7.14 m
Height: 24.09 m

Other data

Engines: 4 x turbofan Rolls-Royce Trent 900
Cruising speed: 850 km/h
Flight range: 15,200km
Passenger capacity max: 853 (one class of service)

Airbus A380-800 Emirates cabin layout

Emirates Airbuses A380-800 have two types of cabin layout: three and two classes. Moreover, the number of passengers with a three-class layout varies depending on the distance of the route. On long-distance routes - 517 passengers, on ultra-long - 489. When configured into two classes, Airbus 380-800 of Emirates Airlines can accommodate 615 passengers.

Let's take a closer look at the layout of the Airbus 380-800 Emirates cabins (see diagram) into three classes for ultra-long-haul flights, i.e. for 489 passengers.

Let's start with the upper deck. There are two privileged classes of service here: first and business class.

First class private cabins

First class accommodates 14 individual cabins for VIP passengers: maximum comfort and everything necessary for relaxation or work. The dimensions of the cabin are three meters long and one and a half meters wide. The relaxation area includes: a fully reclining massage chair, a wardrobe for personal belongings, a mirror, a dressing table. All finishing in the cabin is natural polished wood. The upholstery of the chair is genuine leather. On the outside of the cabin there is a wardrobe and luggage compartment.

The personal minibar includes fine wines and champagne.

For work, there is a sliding work table, sockets, 2 USB inputs for charging electronic devices, Wi-Fi during the entire flight. Lighting is adjustable from bright to minimal. The cabin has a 27-inch personal screen with a large selection of entertainment programs, videos and games.

Business Class

According to airbus diagram The A380-800 Emirates business class cabin offers 76 passenger seats. Each chair converts into a horizontal bed almost 2 meters long and 50 cm wide.

The seats are located so that each passenger has his own individual exit to the corridor. There is a partition between the central seats that can be lowered or raised at the request of the passenger. Next to each seat there is a personal minibar, table and luggage compartment. In addition: power socket, USB input, shoe compartment and noise-isolating headphones.

Entertainment system: 23-inch LCD monitor. In addition to the entertainment program provided by the airline, you can display video files from your electronic device on the screen.

Wi-Fi throughout the flight allows you to work on your personal computer or communicate with colleagues, family and friends.

Economy class

Look for cheap tickets for any type of transport without leaving your home:

Economy class on the Emirates Airbus 380-800 is located entirely on the lower deck and includes 399 seats distributed over 4 cabins. Seating configuration: 3-4-3 and 3-3 in the last rows (check the diagram). The width of the seat cushions is 45 cm. The backrests recline by 15 cm. Each chair has a built-in LCD monitor on the back side of the backrest. All monitors are connected to a central entertainment system, which includes more than 2,500 channels in several languages: films, programs, games, shows. In addition, there is interactive map, with which you can monitor the flight.

On each economy class seat, passengers will find: a small travel pillow, a blanket, stereo headphones, as well as bright stickers that passengers can stick on the back of the seat to warn flight attendants:

“Do not disturb” - pink.
“Wake me up during lunch” - green.
"Wake me up when you sell duty products free" - orange.

Wireless Internet is available throughout the flight.

There is a special one for children entertainment, toys and children's menu.

Menu for adults can be selected on the official website. You can choose dishes national cuisine the country you are flying to, dietary menu, etc.

Comfortable places are highlighted in green on the diagram, less comfortable ones are green and yellow, and the most uncomfortable ones are yellow and pink.

The location of the seats in the rows: where is it more convenient to sit?

Places 43 rows They are quite comfortable, but have one drawback: in front of them there is a partition with toilets. The distance to the partition is quite large, but these places are not suitable for people of large stature and massive build. In addition, people passing to the toilet can cause some disturbance.

45 D, E, F, G – comfortable places with plenty of space in front.

50 A, B, C, H, J, K and 51 D, E, F, G– places where the backrest reclines at a small angle (they are yellow in the interior diagram).

Before 52 and 68 rows there is a partition. These are places of average comfort. The space in front of the seats is increased, but not enough for tall people.

In places 65 A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H and 66 H, J, K The seat backs are locked.

Before 67 and 80 rows are emergency exits. Certain categories of passengers cannot fly in seats in this row. Restrictions apply:

children;
pregnant women;
disabled people;
passengers with animals.

81 A, K and 82 D, E, F, G – comfortable places with increased space in front of the seats.

88 row – uncomfortable places the last row, behind which the toilet rooms are located. The backs of these seats deviate at a slight angle.

Best places

In Emirates Economy Class best places offer more comfort. This is a large space in front of the seats and the ability to recline the backrest. IN Airbus cabin A380-800 (see diagram) is:

45 and 54 D, E, F, G
68 and 81 A, K

Nice places

Not a bad place with a small drawback. The partition in front of these rows may cause some inconvenience for tall people. This.

Airbus with its A380 has raised the level of comfort in flight to heights unattainable by other aircraft. The entire second floor is dedicated to business and first classes. The seats fold out into beds and passengers are given mattresses for comfort. Each passenger has his own refrigerator with drinks next to his seat, and in the back you can sit in a full-fledged bar, lazily discussing the problems of launching a hadron collider with a talkative bartender. What can we say if there are 2 spacious shower cabins in the nose of the plane. For the first time in my life, I didn’t want the flight to end.

Before going to the Le Bourget air show, my friend Sergei aviator_ru Martirosyan issued me a journalist's ID, which I showed to the flight attendants and they arranged for me a real excursion by plane...

Economy and business class passengers board the aircraft through different jet bridges and are separated from each other during the flight:

There are only 4 chairs in each row:

Passengers are given socks, a sleep mask and seat stickers so that the flight attendant knows what to do if you fall asleep:

For shoes there is special department under the mattress in the footwell:

The chair folds out into an almost horizontal bed. My height is 182 cm, but I didn’t put my feet against the wall. There was enough space:

After dinner they laid out a mattress and a pillow for me:

In front of each passenger there is a 17-inch touchscreen, an electrical outlet, 2 USB ports (I don’t know why), a triple headphone jack and a multimedia system control panel combined with a satellite phone:

Each chair also has its own large control panel, which also controls the lighting, the position of the chair and turns on the massage mode of the back and seat:

The aircraft is equipped with several external cameras and the passenger can choose any of them:

It is especially interesting to watch the flight through the tail chamber. You can see how the plane dives into the clouds while landing:

At the airport, using the same camera, you feel (what a hissing word!) the dimensions of the A380:

There is also a mode showing the location of the aircraft on the map:

In the tail there is a bar where strong and soft drinks are served free of charge:

Trays of sandwiches and cakes were constantly being renewed at the counter:

There are 2 sofas installed along the walls, with seat belts:

Flying “at the bar” is incredibly pleasant and convenient. The flight goes unnoticed:

For dinner I chose a light shrimp salad:

The A380 has 5 toilets on the second floor and 10 on the first floor, in economy class:

In addition to the toilets, there are two shower rooms in the bow for first class passengers. True, you need to order them an hour before use and the water flows for only 5 minutes:

First class passengers have their own bar, where the drinks are more exclusive, but there is no bartender:

Next to the showers, a grand staircase descends leading to the first floor, to the cockpit and to the economy class cabin:

The pilots have a separate room:

And at the end, a few facts about this plane:

The plane has 14 first class seats, 76 business class seats and 396 economy class seats. The 7-hour flight is served by a team of 27 people:

2 pilots
4 senior flight attendants
4 flight attendants in first class
8 flight attendants in business class
8 flight attendants in economy class
1 bathhouse attendant preparing shower cabins

During the 14-hour flight, 2 more pilots and 1 bathhouse attendant are added to the team. Total 30 people.

The wingspan is 80 meters. Fuel reserve - 240 tons. In the air, the A380 must diverge from other aircraft at a distance of at least 10 kilometers, since even a humpbacked Boeing 747 can roll over in its aerodynamic currents.

During flight, the engine noise is practically inaudible. The cabin is very quiet and only the ventilation rustles near the ceiling. All flight attendants are friendly and constantly smiling. Even when they are in the kitchen and think that no one sees them. In the salon you are immersed in an atmosphere of celebration and luxury:

When you see the Airbus A380-800 for the first time, it’s hard to believe that such a giant can take off.

The airline from the UAE, Emirates, has 38 of the largest passenger airliners in the world. They are divided into two interior layouts, which are, in principle, very similar.

We will analyze the layout of the A380 cabin, which is more common.

It includes 14 enclosed First Class cabins (Rows 1-4), 76 Business Class seats (Rows 6-26) and 399 standard Economy Class seats (Rows 43-88).

The other layout differs in that it has 7 more economy class seats and slightly different row numbering. You can find out exactly what layout will be on your flight. If it differs from the one presented here, contact our operator, he will tell you where it will be more convenient for you to sit

Well, let's take a look.

The Airbus A380 aircraft has two full floors. The ground floor of the Emirates aircraft houses first and business classes.

WITH 1 to 4 rows- first grade. It’s hard to imagine a more comfortable flight than these seats. Each place is a small individual compartment with a door. The seat reclines 180 degrees, there is a large monitor, sockets, internet, individual lighting and a minibar.

VIP passengers are provided with an exquisite menu, showers and service at the level of a five-star hotel.

However, even here there are places that are a little worse. The first and fourth rows are closest to the restrooms and bar/kitchen.

Passengers are warned that on night flights, constant technical lighting is required. premises and extraneous sounds coming from there can interfere with a peaceful rest.

You can see photos of the first class interior below at the end of the article.

WITH 6 to 26 These are business class rows.

Here, Emirates also has everything in order - very comfortable seats: an individual chair that can be turned into a bed. But even here there are places where comfort is a little low.

These are the rows near which the bar, toilets or kitchen are located.

There is a constant stream of people coming to the bar day and night. The same goes for toilets.

If you want to relax and sleep peacefully, choose places other than those marked in yellow.

You can see some photos of the bar and business class lounge below.

now let's move to lower deck, which is occupied by a single economic class.

As we already wrote, there are 399 places in total.

Each chair is equipped with its own screen and an audio/video entertainment system.

There are sockets for charging, as well as individual USB ports and an Internet connection.

Internet on airplanes is paid.

The distance between the rows is slightly more than 80 cm. Standard for economy class.

43 row— increased distance for knees due to the placement of the wall.

Also, no one will lean back their chair on you.

However, there are disadvantages, which may be even more significant for some than the advantages.

The armrests are locked, as usual for the first row.

Nearby there is a staircase to the second deck, under which there is a technical room for flight attendants.

There are lights on throughout the entire flight and flight attendants and stewards walk around.

Also, the proximity of toilets, which passengers go to around the clock.

Another sound that can be disturbing during an overnight flight is the opening and closing of the magnetic clasp that blocks access to the upper deck.

In general, very hectic places.

45 row— increased free space for legs and knees.

54A and 55A— under the seat in front there is an audio/video entertainment server. Slightly less legroom.

Rows 65, 66, 78, 79— the seats in these rows have limited backrest recline. Also, proximity to toilets is always restless.

Rows 67 and 80- additional free space for knees and legs.

Also, note that there are 2 chairs in a row. This is very convenient for traveling as a couple.

However, there are toilets, which means walking, queues, bustle.

68, 81, A and K- due to the missing chair, the seats are very comfortable.

82 row— increased free space for knees and legs.

87 row C and H— they will pass you by on their way to the toilets. They may hit you with an elbow or step on your foot.

88 row- the last row.

The backrests are blocked, toilets and stairs are close.