Airbus highlights its collaboration with airports

A key presentation at the ‘Welcoming the A380 Conference’, which will run alongside Asian Aerospace, will highlight Airbus’ collaboration with the airport and ground handling community to ensure A380 compatibility with existing equipment and infrastructure.

The conference, which will be held on the 22-23 February at the Singapore Aviation Academy, will address the challenges that airports and airlines have faced in welcoming the new large aircraft. It will cover how these challenges were addressed right from the start of the development phase, as early as 1996, and how the aircraft is now eagerly awaited by its 16 customers and more than 60 airports worldwide who expect to welcome the A380.

Thomas Burger, Airbus product marketing manager, A380, will give an overview of the collaborative approach Airbus took to design the aircraft in order to minimise the amount of new equipment required to handle it on the ground.

“We have been working with airlines, airports and ground handlers since the beginning of the A380 programme with a view to minimising their exposure to new equipment. Out of 21 pieces of equipment required for ground handling, only two are new,” Thomas said. “The benefit of this approach has been proven several times over at those airports where we have successfully conducted compatibility tests.”

The two new pieces of equipment required, a tow tractor and an upper deck catering vehicle are both available from several equipment manufacturers and can also be used on all other widebody aircraft.