A new role for the A380: High-density airliner for low cost flights
Having revolutionised air travel with new standards of comfort, efficiency and performance for the world’s mainline carriers, the A380 is ready for a new role in expanding low-cost travel to more new markets.
The first customer to acquire A380s for single-class, high-density operations is Air Austral, an airline based on the island of La Reunion – a French overseas department in the southwest Indian Ocean.
Air Austral signed a firm order today at the 2009 Dubai Airshow for two A380s, which will be equipped with 840 seats in a single-class configuration. The aircraft are to link La Reunion with Paris, offering the largest and most comfortable economy-class passenger seat in the market. The first A380 delivery to Air Austral is scheduled in 2014.
“My thanks go to Airbus for agreeing to collaborate with us on defining this high-density, long-haul configuration of the A380,” said Air Austral President Gérard Ethève. “We are convinced that the future of air transport will be driven by lower fare and lower cost transportation. After a very serious study, both Air Austral and Airbus arrived at the conclusion that the A380 is the response to this challenge.”
La Reunion has a population of 850,000 inhabitants, with air traffic volume between the island and continental France currently totalling approximately 1 million passengers annually, according to Ethève. These airline operations are considered as domestic flights, and are highly important for the island’s economic, social and cultural relations with France, he added.
“Future traffic growth on such segments will be directly related to airlines’ ability to offer lower-priced tickets, responding to customer demand for cheaper travel,” Ethève said. “The lowering of prices necessitates the use of lower-cost tools. We are very proud to be first to launch a high-density A380, and we are convinced that we will not be the last.”
He predicted that Air Austral’s lower-cost A380 operations would draw feed traffic to the airline’s hub at La Reunion from other destinations throughout the southwest Indian Ocean. “I am convinced the A380 will play an important role on other high-density routes as well, and I believe that in cooperation with my French airline industry colleagues, it could also be used on flights between Paris and the French Antilles in the Caribbean.”
John Leahy, the Airbus Chief Operating Officer – Customers, said the A380’s cabin size and layout will bring a level of comfort to high-density services that is not available in any other aircraft. He noted that Air Austral’s A380s will have 10-abreast seating, which is already in use in high density airline operations with the Boeing 747 and 777. Each seat on the A380 will be at least 3 cm wider than on either of these traditional aircraft, however.
“The A380’s wider fuselage means its seats and armrests can be wider, providing better comfort levels,” Leahy explained. “What’s important in high-density operations is how much room a passenger has. Passengers on low-cost flights will have a much more pleasant experience because of the A380’s upper and lower decks, its ability to be divided into multiple cabins, the aircraft’s wider aisles and its much quieter cabin environment.”
