14 years after its first flight, Airbus bids final adieu to the A380

Think of splurging in a first-class seat, sipping on bloody Mary or popping  Champagne or perhaps getting a free business class seat while on company travel? Offering a travel experience like no other, even in economy class, the Airbus A380 is the worlds biggest passenger plane to have been built so far.

The Emirates A380 horseshoe bar lounge | The Champagne Mile

Emirates airlines have been its biggest customer so far with the aircraft featuring Private flat-bed suites, an up-in-the-air lounge and cocktail bar, a personal mini-bar at each seat and not to mention the comfy shower spas onboard its fleet of double-decker plane.

We’ve developed the most passenger preferred aircraft in the worldAirbus head of business analysis and market forecast Bob Lange says

Why then, did Airbus decide to pull the plug on one of the most iconic engineering marvels to adorn the skies?

Long story short and ironical as it may sound, is the low number of planes sold. 

In the end, you have to face facts, and we could see that we were building A380s faster than people were ordering themLange says

Secondly, with continuous operations, the plane ages and so does the cabin.

A380 Premium Economy | AERONEF.NET

The more seats there are, the higher are the costs of cabin upgrading. Investing over $45 million (£37m),in-seat upgrades, made little sense over-investing in newer aircraft instead. Air France has decided to phase out all of its 10 A380s by 2022 for the very same reason.

Thirdly, the external design and economics played a huge factor in the phasing out of this iconic aircraft. The A380 sports 4 massive engines requiring more investment into them as opposed to the much cheaper and new generation of super-efficient, twin-engine planes, such as Boeing’s 787 Dreamliner and Airbus’s A350.

Boeing B787 Dreamliner | Quora

Given that fuel is the biggest operating cost for an airline, anything airlines can do to lock in lower fuel and maintenance costs is likely to be highly attractive. In many cases, airlines have opted to base their fleet renewal plans around these twin-engine variants, in some cases even bring forward the planned retirement dates of quad-engined aircraft as a consequenceAndrew Smith, director of Deloitte’s global transport practice

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rDoj6VI_8fg

Last Airbus A380 Delivery | This would be the 123rd jumbo jet for Emirates | Youtube

Although shelved, the technology used for the A380 program hasn't gone out of the window. With almost more than 380 parents on the A380, most has been used on smaller planes in Airbus.

Airbus has delivered the last A380 to Emirates on Thursday, thereby marking the end of a 14 year run of the majestic jumbo jet.

With the A380 gone, the massive 122,500 sq m assembly plant in Toulouse now remains deserted.

Airbus to soon convert its A380 Toulouse facility to A321 final assembly line

SOURCE(s)

COVER: Emirates

In a major boost to indigenisation, Hindustan Aeronautics Limited on Thursday, December 16 signed a contract with Bharat Electronics Limited for the development and supply of 20 types of systems for the LCA Tejas Mk1A programme.

The five-year contract spanning from 2023 to 2028 is valued at INR 2,400 crore and involves supplying critical avionics Line Replaceable Units (LRUs), flight control computers and night flying LRUs, Bengaluru-headquartered HAL said in a statement.

"This is the biggest ever order that HAL has placed on any Indian company boosting 'Atmanirbhar Bharat' campaign," it said.

"LCA Tejas programme is an excellent example of synergies between Indian Defence establishments such as HAL, DRDO & BEL. The current order for development and supply of 20 types of critical avionics LRUs for Tejas Mk1A is a shot-in-the-arm for Make in India activity."R Madhavan, CMD, HAL

The order for the supply of these systems for the 83 Tejas Mk1A fighter fleet will be executed by two Divisions of BELat Bengaluru and Panchkula (Haryana). All the contracted items will be delivered by BEL to HAL in a ready-to-board condition, the statement said.

Deliveries under 83 Tejas Mk1A order to IAF will commence from 2023-24.

"We are pleased to receive this order from HAL for the prestigious LCA Tejas programme and look forward to continuing strong partnership and joint success with HAL."Anandi Ramalingam, CMD, BEL

The home-grown fighter is slated to be equipped with indigenous flight control computers, air data computers which would also be supplied by BEL under this contract. These systems have been designed and developed by various labs of DRDO and Aeronautical Development Agency, Bengaluru.

The contract documents were handed over by General Manager LCA Tejas Division, HAL, E P Jayadeva to General Manager (EW&A) BEL, Manoj Jain.

The Indian subsidiary of US-based helicopter transport firm BLADE has launched its scheduled by-the-seat services on Bengaluru-Coorg and Bengaluru-Kabini routes in Karnataka.

BLADE first entered the state in December 2020 with its weekend private charter services. With the launch of the services on the two routes, travel time to the two cities from the state capital will be reduced from 6-7 hours by road at present, the company said in a release.

"Karnataka boasts of some of the most beautiful destinations in the country, however, their accessibility is a pain point. 6-7 hours of road travel from Bangalore eat into the precious time that travellers could otherwise spend enjoying their holiday. BLADE mitigates this pain with an hour's seamless experience." Amit Dutta, MD, BLADE India

BLADE India said it aims to connect congested and inaccessible surface routes in the country through an efficient air transport system and provide an all-around holistic experience through its baggage and ground transfers and partner benefits.

BLADE India said it has tied up with Evolve Back Resorts to enable customers to book their flight and stay at once; land at the property directly in an hour and be more accessible.

"We are excited to partner with BLADE India as they offer Helicopter Transfers from Bangalore to our resorts in Coorg and Kabini. This will give a huge boost to luxury travel in Karnataka and will transform the leisure tourism industry in the months to come."Thomas Emmanuel Ramapuram, Director-Sales, Evolve Back Resorts

BLADE India, a joint venture between BLADE Urban Air Mobility Inc, headquartered in New York, and New Delhi-based venture capital firm Hunch Ventures, started operations in Maharashtra in 2019.

According to the company website, the trip from Jakkur aerodrome in Bengaluru to Coorg costs Rs 16,000 per seat.

Meanwhile, in June 2021, the Karnataka Tourism Department got approval from the Youth and Sports Services department and Airport Authority of India (AII) to use Jakkur aerodrome and five other airstrips for heli-tourism purposes.

The state government was planning to use Jakkur for landing and take-off purposes. The department is also planning a circuit for tourists to take helicopters to Goa, Tamil Nadu, Pondicherry and Kerala.

As ironic as it may sound, the many well established automotive companies we see today, have at some point in time, dabbled in aviation. It wasn't until the end of the 19th century though, with the first Model T from an assembly line in 1913, Ford, that the automotive sector actually "took off".

Here's a rundown of 6 such automotive companies that tested their waters in aviation.

1. BMW

Bayerische Motoren Werke AG is a German multinational corporate manufacturer of luxury vehicles and motorcycles.

What many isn't aware, is that the company started as a manufacturer of aircraft engines, which is produced from 1917 until 1918 and again from 1933 to 1945.

HotCars

The most popular engine was the large 41.8-litre engine of which they had demand for over 61,000.

Did you know? Their logo is a picture of their iconic 801 engine on an airplane operated during World War II

Wikipedia

2. Chevrolet

Chevrolet also referred to as "Chevy", is an American automobile division founded by Louis Chevrolet, who had a deep interest in aircraft. He, together with a few other businessmen, developed a four and six-cylinder engine that would go on to be the powerhouse of the Travel Air Biplane in 1929 under the brand name "Chevolair." 

HotCars

They would go on to develop the D-333 4-cylinder Engine, which would be used in various aircraft from a monoplane to a seaplane.

3. Ford

Yet another American multinational automobile manufacturer founded by Henry Ford, the company also dabbled in aviation for a brief period between 1925 and 1933.

After having bought the aircraft company, Stot, in 1925, Ford used one of its engines to construct a tri-engine aircraft that could house up to 7 passengers.

"Flivver" was yet another tiny project by the company which, quite unfortunately, didn't sustain for long.

Flivver | nateqnews.com

4. Fiat

Fiat Automobiles is the largest automobile manufacturer in Italy. What isn't well known is "Fiat Aviazione"- an Italian aircraft company that started in 1908.

CR 42 Falco Biplane

The Fiat CR.42 Falco Biplane, the BR.20 bomber and the Harrier jump jet (an early eVTOL aircraft) are some of the accomplishments on Fiat's aviation resume.

BR.20 bomber

Additionally, they have been consultants on the Boeing B747 project as well.

5. Toyota

Founded by Kiichiro Toyoda, Toyota Motor Corporation is a Japanese automobile manufacturer. With no active aircrafts manufactured under their name per se, the company had previously made the TAA-1 a light aircraft prototype made for Japan and the United States.

Toyota TAA-1 | Euroga.org

Very recently, they have joined with Joby Aviation, an eVTOL company based in the US, to unveil a two-person drone capable of taking off vertically.

6. Subaru

Yet another automotive manufacturer based in Japan, founded by Kenji Kita.

Whilst primarily being an automotive company, Subaru's contribution to aviation cannot be understated.

The company has 50 years of experience in defence aircraft, contributing significantly to the Japanese military and Boeing.Subaru has manufactured Subaru Bell 412EPX, entirely on its own. They have had a significant role in the integration of the main wing with the landing gear of the Boeing B767 and B777 series.

Subaru Bell 412EPX | News

Very recently, the company has entered the domain of UAVs as well.

All credits to respective sources

COVER: Tech Explorist

With the aviation sector on the path of revival following a decrease in the number of Covid cases, Cochin International Airport Ltd (CIAL) is now recording steady traffic growth.

CIAL has registered continuous growth over the last three months around 150 aircraft movement daily. During September-November 2021 the airport logged a passenger traffic growth of 110% compared to the same period in 2020.

(Image Courtesy - The Edition)

As per the airport data, CIAL handled 11,891 aircraft movements in September-November 2021, which is 62% more than the previous period. It also facilitated 6,73,238 international passengers during the three months. The domestic passenger traffic stood at 6,85,817. The cumulative passenger volume is 13,59,055 compared to 6,46,761 during the same period in 2020.

CIAL managing director S Suhas said that the steady growth was due to the company’s effort in making the airport a safe travel hub. “Kochi airport has ensured that there is more connectivity than ever before,” he said.

(Image Courtesy - The News Minute)

The airport witnessed peak traffic with 23,029 passengers and 154 aircraft movements on December 10. This is the highest since the outbreak of the pandemic. CIAL now handles 182 weekly departures to the Middle East alone. It also hosts flights to the UK, Sri Lanka, and Male.

As part of the vigil against Omicron, CIAL has scaled up Covid testing facilities for international arrivals with a capacity for 700 tests at a time, a statement said.

SpiceJet said on Wednesday, December 15 it has agreed with Canadian aircraft manufacturer De Havilland settle all disputes related to the Q400 turboprop aircraft purchase agreement.

"All related proceedings before the UK court and execution proceedings before the Delhi High Court have been stayed and will be withdrawn upon compliance with the settlement terms," a statement from the airline read.

The case between SpiceJet and De Havilland involves the delivery of 14 Dash 8-400 turboprops that SpiceJet had ordered. As part of the settlement, SpiceJet is expected to have inducted a few of the aircraft from the aforementioned deal to maintain a long-term relationship with the aircraft manufacturer.

In 2017, SpiceJet had signed an agreement with De Havilland for the purchase of 25 Q400 aircraft. It took delivery of five aircraft but failed to make pre-delivery payments for 15 aircraft in the order. It also did not take delivery of three of those planes. Later, the Canadian aircraft manufacturer suspended the contract.

Three years later, De Havilland had filed a case against SpiceJet in a United Kingdom (UK) court stating the budget airline paid and took delivery of five of the 25 aircraft but halted the pre-delivery payment for the remainder of them.

The UK court had in 2021 said De Havilland was entitled to recover USD 42.9 million from SpiceJet and terminate the aircraft purchase agreement. The Canadian aircraft maker had then filed a case in Delhi High court to recover the USD 42.9 million awards.

In a statement, SpiceJet said on Wednesday, "The company is pleased to announce that on December 13, 2021, it has entered into a settlement agreement with the aircraft manufacturer of DHC-8-400 aircraft (De Havilland Aircraft of Canada Limited) wherein the parties have agreed to settle all their disputes under and related to the aircraft purchase agreement and component solution agreement, subject to compliance with the terms of the settlement.

SpiceJet is also battling a liquidation suit filed by Credit Suisse over its failure to pay a Swiss maintenance contractor for services rendered. SpiceJet is challenging Credit Suisse’s right to file the suit and its claim that the Swiss contractor had assigned its rights over the dues to the Swiss financier.

Last month, the LCC also reached a settlement with Boeing over the 32-month grounding of the 737 MAX, acquiring two 777-200ERs from the American planemaker as compensation. This came after three financial years of SpiceJet attempting to claim compensation from Boeing. It remains to be seen how the carrier utilizes the widebodies, whether on long-haul passenger services or cargo operations.