J-10
04-10-2005, 11:52 PM
While US government moans, airports ready for Airbus giant
Sun Apr 10, 4:58 PM ET U.S. National - AFP
WASHINGTON (AFP) - US complaints about European government subsidies to Airbus Industrie have not stopped US airports preparing for the arrival of the giant A380 jet that is set to spark a new transatlantic trade dogfight.
A Monday deadline for an agreement is almost certain to pass without a result and the United States has said it will then take its complaint to the World Trade Organization.
Airbus is hoping the 550-seat A380, the world's biggest jet, will revolutionize air travel.
And even though no US airline has ordered the European jet, aviation authorities are getting Los Angeles, New York's John F. Kennedy airport, San Francisco and Miami airports ready for the A-380 passenger flights in 2006, according to Dave Bennett of the Federal Aviation Administration's Office of Airport Safety and Standards.
"I don't see major safety or technical problems," said Bennett.
"We do expect the A380, soon after certificated to begin service at the US probably at 4 passengers airports initially and two more airports for freighters in 2008."
O'Hare airport in Chicago and Dulles in Washington will be ready later.
Memphis in Tennessee and Anchorage in Alaska should be ready for the cargo version of the A380 in 2008. Federal Express has ordered 10 of the planes.
"The FAA has worked with each of these airports and the plans for operations of the A380 have been approved"
None of the airports is yet ready to handle the weight or width of the A380, according to Bennett. But he added that this should not be a major problem as the tonnage per wheel is no different from other aircraft.
The A380 will take over from the Boeing 747 as the biggest jet in the skies. Its 540 tonne weight is 30 percent more than the 747 and its wingspan of 78 metres (257 feet) is 15 metres (50 feet) wider than Boeing's Jumbo jet.
But access routes from terminals to runways will have to be widened and bridges underneath runways will have to be strengthened.
The cost will be relatively modest, according to **** Marchi, an expert on infrastructure for the Airport Council International North America.
He said a study was carried out which indicated each airport would have to spend about 80 million dollars to rebuild or widen taxiways and runway bridges for the A380.
Marchi said the figure should be even lower as none of the facilities will have to build a new runway. The Airbus jet takes off from a shorter distance than its Boeing rival.
"There are things that need to be done, but for most of them it's not a disruptive change."
Many airports will not even need new terminals, just to change existing buildings so passengers can board and disembark on two levels, said Marchi.
Dan Cohen-Nir, a Washington-based technical official for Airbus North America, said one of the key strengths of the A380 was that it had been conceived to be used in airports that already take the Boeing 747, with the minimum of extra works.
Atlanta, one of the busiest airports in the world, has refused to make changes to accommodate the A380 saying that no airline using the Georgia hub had indicated it wanted to bring the new jet there. But Cohen-Nir said this was not important as most of its traffic is domestic.
The Airbus official said he had not seen any sign that the US authorities were throwing up barriers to the A380, even though its development is becoming a major transatlantic dispute.
From (http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/afp/20050410/ts_alt_afp/useuairtradeairbus_050410205833)
Sun Apr 10, 4:58 PM ET U.S. National - AFP
WASHINGTON (AFP) - US complaints about European government subsidies to Airbus Industrie have not stopped US airports preparing for the arrival of the giant A380 jet that is set to spark a new transatlantic trade dogfight.
A Monday deadline for an agreement is almost certain to pass without a result and the United States has said it will then take its complaint to the World Trade Organization.
Airbus is hoping the 550-seat A380, the world's biggest jet, will revolutionize air travel.
And even though no US airline has ordered the European jet, aviation authorities are getting Los Angeles, New York's John F. Kennedy airport, San Francisco and Miami airports ready for the A-380 passenger flights in 2006, according to Dave Bennett of the Federal Aviation Administration's Office of Airport Safety and Standards.
"I don't see major safety or technical problems," said Bennett.
"We do expect the A380, soon after certificated to begin service at the US probably at 4 passengers airports initially and two more airports for freighters in 2008."
O'Hare airport in Chicago and Dulles in Washington will be ready later.
Memphis in Tennessee and Anchorage in Alaska should be ready for the cargo version of the A380 in 2008. Federal Express has ordered 10 of the planes.
"The FAA has worked with each of these airports and the plans for operations of the A380 have been approved"
None of the airports is yet ready to handle the weight or width of the A380, according to Bennett. But he added that this should not be a major problem as the tonnage per wheel is no different from other aircraft.
The A380 will take over from the Boeing 747 as the biggest jet in the skies. Its 540 tonne weight is 30 percent more than the 747 and its wingspan of 78 metres (257 feet) is 15 metres (50 feet) wider than Boeing's Jumbo jet.
But access routes from terminals to runways will have to be widened and bridges underneath runways will have to be strengthened.
The cost will be relatively modest, according to **** Marchi, an expert on infrastructure for the Airport Council International North America.
He said a study was carried out which indicated each airport would have to spend about 80 million dollars to rebuild or widen taxiways and runway bridges for the A380.
Marchi said the figure should be even lower as none of the facilities will have to build a new runway. The Airbus jet takes off from a shorter distance than its Boeing rival.
"There are things that need to be done, but for most of them it's not a disruptive change."
Many airports will not even need new terminals, just to change existing buildings so passengers can board and disembark on two levels, said Marchi.
Dan Cohen-Nir, a Washington-based technical official for Airbus North America, said one of the key strengths of the A380 was that it had been conceived to be used in airports that already take the Boeing 747, with the minimum of extra works.
Atlanta, one of the busiest airports in the world, has refused to make changes to accommodate the A380 saying that no airline using the Georgia hub had indicated it wanted to bring the new jet there. But Cohen-Nir said this was not important as most of its traffic is domestic.
The Airbus official said he had not seen any sign that the US authorities were throwing up barriers to the A380, even though its development is becoming a major transatlantic dispute.
From (http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/afp/20050410/ts_alt_afp/useuairtradeairbus_050410205833)