FlightGlobal reports that Emirates chief Sir Tim Clark has repeated his call for Airbus to develop a re-engined A380, believing the addition of a next-generation powerplant could deliver fuel-burn savings of up to 25 per cent.
Over 120 books written about MH370 disappearance
JOIN: AirlineRatings.com YouTube Channel
GET: Accurate MH370 Information From AirlineRatings.com Newsletter
Mr Clark, speaking at the Paris Air Forum on June 16, pointed out that the engines currently equipping the Emirates A380 fleet were “designed in the 1990s”.
He pointed out the new Rolls-Royce UltraFan which would give the A380 a 25 per cent reduction in fuel burn which he termed “startlingly good.”
Clark told the media that the A380 remains popular with passengers and Emirates has 87 of its 116-strong fleet in service operating with an 82 per cent load factor.
Emirates operates more A380s than all other airlines combined.
However, even with that impressive improvement, the A380 would still not match the 787-9 for fuel efficiency as it burns 34 per cent less fuel per passenger than the superjumbo.
And the 777X, due to enter service in 2025, is even more fuel efficient at 40 per cent less fuel per passenger and there is some stretch potential in the 777X.
Mr Clark (below) warns that the A380 is needed for slot-constrained airports.
FlightGlobal said that Clark’s admitted that his calls to Airbus are getting no response. “They always laugh at me,” he says. “I’m the outlier – but I’m simply saying what I know to be the case – they may choose not to deal with that.”
Airlineratings.com was developed to provide everyone in the world with a one-stop shop for everything related to airlines, formed by a team of aviation editors, who have forensically researched nearly every airline in the world.
Our rating system is rated from one to seven stars on safety – with seven being the highest ranking. Within each airline, you will find the country of origin, airline code, booking URL and seat map information. The rating system takes into account a number of different factors related to audits from aviation’s governing bodies, lead associations as well as the airline’s own safety data. Every airline has a safety rating breakdown so you can see exactly how they rate.
Over 230 of the airlines on the site that carry 99 per cent of the world’s passengers have a product rating. Given that low-cost, regional and full-service carriers are so different we have constructed a different rating system for each which can be found within each airline.
