The largest passenger aircraft in the world. Passenger aircraft, which are the largest: dimensions and capacity

We will look at those airliners that occupy the first 5 places in the ranking of the largest aircraft in terms of size. Each of these aircraft became famous for one or another position.

This review article with a brief description of each position and photographs will provide an opportunity to obtain reliable information on the issue that interests you. If you have any other information or would like to express your opinion, please do so in the comments box located at the bottom of the page.
The site administration welcomes both positive and objective negative criticism.

TOP 5 largest aircraft in the world

1st place - An-225

Let's start our story with a review of the largest aircraft in every sense, which exists in a single copy in the world. The production of the airliner was so financially expensive that the aircraft plant was forced to stop its production.

An-225 is a joint Russian-Ukrainian brainchild, called Mriya. The aircraft was produced in 1988 as a cargo ship, which later became a military transport aircraft.

The An-225 has the most unimaginable parameters even for a large aircraft:

• height just over 24 m;
• length - 73 m;
• First of all, the wingspan is amazing, which is almost 88.5 m;
• a vessel weighing 250,000 kg is capable of flying with a maximum take-off weight of 600,000 kg.

There is information that production of the world's second An-225 has begun, but due to lack of funds, the air monster is only no more than 70% ready.

2nd place - Airbus A-380

The largest passenger aircraft is the Airbus A-380. This model of the airliner gained fame thanks to its ownership by one of the richest people in the world - the Arabian oligarch Al Waleed bin Talal.

Unlike the An-225, the Airbus A-380 is a serial aircraft that has been actively put into production since 2005.

Interesting article:
The most expensive plane in the world
how much does it cost and who is the owner of the most luxurious airliner: how does the most expensive plane differ from a regular one and what does the price of a luxurious personal vehicle consist of?

The liner is available in two modifications:

• single-class configuration that can accommodate up to 850 passengers;
• three-class configuration, where 525 people can spend their time in the most comfortable way during the flight.

The large Airbus has impressive parameters:

• liner length - 73 m;
• vessel height - 24.1 m;
• the wingspan of the A-380 is almost 80 m;
• an aircraft weighing 280,000 kg can easily fly with a maximum take-off weight of 560,000 kg.

The aircraft has only one drawback: when taking to the skies and traveling around the world, it can cover a distance of no more than 15,400 km without refueling.

3rd place - Boeing 777-300ER

The next representative of the largest airliners in the world cannot be ignored. The Boeing 777-300ER was developed in 1990 and only entered service in 1995. The liner is capable of carrying up to 550 passengers at a time.

The aircraft is used by airlines for longer flights, because the Boeing 777-300ER has a record - the ability to fly the longest without refueling. The aircraft is capable of flying a distance of 21,600 km without additional landings.

Technical characteristics of the Boeing 777-300ER:

• the largest and very powerful engines are installed;
• length - 74 m;


• can accommodate the following number of passengers:
  • modification with 3 classes - 368 people;
  • configuration with 2 classes - 451 people;
  • board with 1st class - 550 people.


• The wingspan is about 65 m.

4th place - Airbus A340-600

In 4th place is the longest passenger airliner, Airbus A340-600. The first flight of the large aircraft was made in 2001 and since then the Airbus A340-600 has been among the aircraft of a considerable number of air carriers around the world.

Two possible modifications of the aircraft allow passengers to be transferred anywhere in the world:

• 2-class configuration - 419 passengers;
• 3-class - 380 people.

The Airbus A340-600 boasts a spacious cargo compartment with impressive volumes and the ability to fly up to 14,600 km without refueling.

The technical characteristics of the aircraft include the following:

• length - a little more than 75m;
• wingspan is about 64 m;
• height is slightly less than 17.5 m.

5th place - Boeing 747

In fifth, but no less honorable place, is the Boeing 747, which for almost 40 years was considered the largest and most spacious passenger aircraft. But since the Airbus A380 appeared in the world, its leading position has fallen sharply. In 2005, the Boeing 747 lost its lead.

The largest modification is the Boeing 747-400. A distinctive feature of the liner is the presence on board of two decks to accommodate passengers. The decks have different sizes, the upper one is much smaller than the lower one. This is the first double-deck aircraft in the world capable of flying long distances.
We can say with confidence that the Boeing 747 is the most common aircraft among air carriers. Large airlines actively use it for flights. One of these Boeings holds a record: a distance of 18,000 km (London-Sydney) was covered in just 20 hours and 9 minutes, including the time of takeoff and landing.

Interesting information about the aircraft:

• length about 71 m;
• width almost 64.5 m;
• height as much as 19.4 m;
• number of passengers:
  • modification with 3 classes - 416 people;
  • 2-class configuration - 524 people.

On a note:
First class on an airplane
What makes first class on board an airliner luxurious and as comfortable as possible? Why do we so rarely hear from our friends about first category flights?

Economy class on the plane
Why are flights in the economy zone attractive for the vast majority of tourists? What inconveniences can flying in such an area cause? How can you most comfortably spend time in the most accessible class?

Business class on the plane
Is it worth paying extra for flights in the business zone? The main differences between business and economy class. Which category of tourists should be given preference when purchasing air tickets in the category with business services?

The giant double-deck Airbus A380 is the largest passenger aircraft in the history of world aviation, with a maximum capacity of 853 passengers in a single-class configuration. The first copy was delivered to the customer in 2007; to date, more than 110 vehicles have been built! Today I want to show the A380 assembly line at the Toulouse plant, the scale and size of what I saw is impressive... Well, for a big plane - big photos in the report!

Many spotters, and not only them, consider the plane aesthetically unattractive. I categorically disagree with this statement, moreover, I think it is especially beautiful and elegantly heavy. The A380 taking off slowly is beautiful!

Now let's go to the factory...

This is a diagram of the location of production facilities at a plant in the town of Balagnac near Toulouse, orange is the A380 assembly shops.

Each A380 aircraft consists of approximately 4 million individual components and 2.5 million parts, manufactured by 1,500 companies in 30 countries.

The main elements of the A380 fuselage cannot be transported by air, so they are transported by sea and river on specially adapted barges, and then twice a month by car - this is called "night convoy".

Especially for this aircraft, Airbus has developed a unique logistics system that involves sea, river, air and road transport. From the town of Lisle-Jourdain, approximately 30 km from Blagnac, at exactly 22:00, the night convoy begins moving at a speed of 15-20 km/h, so as not to interfere with traffic - six trailers on which all parts of the aircraft are placed depart in a two-hour way to the final point - the final assembly line in Blagnac.

Fuselage sections with a diameter of 7 meters are transported straight through the narrow streets of the town. But this is the only possible and most optimal point for delivery of aircraft elements to the plant.

At the first station, the fuselage sections are assembled and connected to each other.

Then the wings and vertical stabilizer are installed:

The wing area of ​​the A380 is 845 m2, which is 54% more than that of the Boeing 747-400!

And it's not just a tail... it's FIVE giraffes! :)

Preparation of engine pylons:

The aircraft is assembled, the passenger compartment and cockpit are installed at the following positions:

Each of the main landing gear can withstand a load of up to 260 tons, which is equivalent to the weight of 200 Golf cars

And finally, the last assembly station, where the installation of engines and passenger seats is carried out:

The A380 can be equipped with two types of engines: Rolls-Royce Trent 900 or Engine Alliance GP7000. Only two of the four engines are equipped with thrust reversers.
Reducing noise levels was an important design requirement for the A380, which was partly reflected in the design of the engines. Both engine types enable the aircraft to meet London Heathrow Airport noise limits QC/2 on departure and QC/0.5 on arrival.

The A380 is the most fuel-efficient aircraft in its category. This is the only long-haul airliner that consumes less than 3 liters of fuel to transport a passenger per 100 km (typical layout of 525 seats)

The total area of ​​the A380 cabin is 554 m2. Two full decks: the main deck is the widest passenger cabin in the world (6.5 m); the upper deck is a full-fledged cabin of a wide-body aircraft (5.8 m). The aircraft's air conditioning system is equipped with the most modern filters, which ensure uniform air supply to all parts of the aircraft. The air in the aircraft cabin (volume 1570 m3) is completely replaced every three minutes! The A380 has the quietest passenger cabin in the history of world aviation, I was personally convinced of this on the way from Frankfurt to Singapore.

This A380 will presumably be transferred to a private customer. And behind it, the A300B is the first aircraft produced by Airbus. This aircraft revolutionized civil aviation in the 70s, becoming the first wide-body twin-engine aircraft.

The circular structure on the right is the static engine testing area, with barriers around the circle limiting the distribution of the sound wave.

To date, more than 110 A380 aircraft have been produced; an average of 2.5 aircraft are produced and delivered to customers every month. The order backlog is another 160 aircraft! Currently, the A380 is in service with 20 airlines.
Here are some interesting statistics on B777/B747 replacement on some flights:

And the A380 occupancy rate is also not lower than 80%:

Emirates has the largest A380 fleet:

Five A380s were built for demonstration and testing purposes. The first A380, serial number MSN001 and registration F-WWOW, was unveiled at a ceremony in Toulouse on January 18, 2005, and first flew on April 27, 2005. Here is the very first A380:

The assembly shops of the Airbus plant can be visited by everyone! 2-3 hour tours are organized both in Hamburg and Toulouse, costing 10-15 euros. Pre-reservation is required (!), especially if it is important to get into a group with an English-speaking guide; read the links for additional and current conditions.

These giants plow the skies with ease and grace, and, looking at them from the ground, no one would think that these steel birds represent such a huge structure that the height of the tail of one of these airliners - the A-380 - is five giraffes, set Each other. The Airbus A-380 is the largest passenger aircraft in the world, but this article will not only talk about it.

"Boeing 747"

Among passenger aircraft, the Airbus A380 and Boeing 747 have the maximum size. These are airliners capable of simultaneously carrying more than five hundred passengers. In particular, the A380 is capable of lifting 853 passengers into the air. Before the advent of this giant, the Boeing 747 with a length of 70.6 meters and the Boeing 747-8 with a length of 76.25 meters (the longest passenger aircraft) were the most spacious airliners in the world (the maximum number of simultaneously transported passengers reached 600 people). The Boeing 747-8 is more fuel efficient than the Boeing 747, which first flew on February 9, 1969. The designers originally planned a double-deck aircraft design, but the upper deck was shortened due to technical problems. The Boeing 747 was the first airliner in the world to have two aisles between seats. This aircraft is certified to fly on three engines, and if one of the four fails, the aircraft can fully take off, fly and land on the remaining three engines. At the same time, the cruising speed of the Boeing 747 passenger aircraft is 913 km/h.

Giant A-380

The giant double-deck “French” airliner A380, the first copy of which rolled off the assembly line in 2005, is the largest passenger aircraft in the history of world aviation. Indeed, its creators have something to be proud of - the cabin of the Airbus A380 can accommodate 853 passengers. To date, more than 110 machines have already been built and put into operation. The monthly production volume of these aircraft is 2.5 aircraft. Today, these giants are used by 20 airlines, with Emirates airline having the largest fleet.

The cruising speed of the A380 passenger aircraft reaches 1020 km/h. Each aircraft consists of about four million individual parts and components, which are manufactured in thirty countries around the world by one and a half thousand manufacturing companies and delivered using a unique logistics system developed by Airbus, which includes routes by water, as well as by air and road transport. Each landing gear can withstand a load of about 260 tons (200 passenger cars). For comparison with its predecessor, the wing area of ​​the A380 aircraft is equal to one and a half wing areas of the Boeing 747-400 and is 845 square meters.

The world's largest passenger aircraft can be powered by two types of low-noise engines: either the Rolls-Royce Trent 900 or the Engine Alliance GP7000. At the same time, the A380 is the most economical airliner in its segment - fuel consumption for transporting a passenger per 100 km with a cabin layout of 525 seats does not exceed three liters.

The dimensions of passenger aircraft are impressive; the A380 cabin area is 554 square meters. The liner has two decks - the main one, the width of which is a record high - 6.5 meters, and the upper one with a width of 5.8 meters.

An air volume of 1,500 cubic meters is replaced every three minutes by the air conditioning system; during the flight, there is a pleasant silence in the aircraft cabin, the hum of the turbines is almost inaudible.

Russia is proud of them

What does the domestic aviation industry offer us? The largest turboprop aircraft in the world is the Antonov An-22. Its length is about 60 meters, flight speed is 580 km/h. The first airliner was released in 1965.

"That"

The legendary Tu-134 is a passenger airliner for medium-distance flights, up to 2800 meters. It is designed for a maximum of 96 seats, its cruising speed is 850 km/h at an altitude of 11,000 m. The Tu-154 is a larger capacity aircraft, 158 people can be accommodated in the cabin of three classes, 180 in economy class. The maximum flight speed of this airliner is 950 km/ h, and the Tu-154M modification is capable of covering distances of up to 5200 km.

The Tu-204 can accommodate 214 passengers, and the cruising speed is slightly lower than its previous “brother” - 850 km/h.

"Su"

The Sukhoi Superjet 100 is not the largest passenger aircraft in the world, but it is famous for being the first Russian airliner designed using digital technologies. It is designed for flights up to 3,000 kilometers on lightly loaded airlines. The maximum number of passengers is 98 people.

"Il"

Speaking about domestic aircraft, one cannot fail to mention the Ilyushintsy. Russian passenger aircraft presented by this design bureau have several main types that are well known to us. Let's talk about each of them in more detail.

Let's start with the simplest one - the IL-62, an airliner that has been produced since 1971 and is designed for medium-distance flights - up to 10,000 kilometers. This aircraft accommodates 198 passengers and five crew members. Its maximum speed at cruising altitude is 850 km/h.

As for the Il-86 aircraft, it is also designed for medium-distance flights; the cabin, containing two classes, can accommodate 234 passengers; if the aircraft is three-class, then 314 people. At the same time, 11 flight attendants serve customers. The aircraft are equipped with twelve emergency slides and all the necessary modern rescue systems. The cruising speed of the Il-86 is 950 km/h, the distances over which it flies do not exceed 5,000 kilometers with a maximum flight duration of eight hours.

IL-96

Now about the largest representative of the Ilyushin family - the Il-96 airbus. It is designed for long distance flights. Three hundred people in economy class and 262 passengers in three classes - this figure is practically no different from the previous described model of this family. The airliner flies at a maximum cruising speed of 900 km/h and is capable of covering a distance of up to 12,100 km. Its improved “model” - Il-96M - can accommodate a larger number of passengers - up to 435 people in the charter version.

Near term, or domestic developments

Today, the largest Russian aircraft project is the Irkut MS-21. Within its framework, it is planned to produce short- and medium-haul passenger airliners. Now the Irkut company is carrying out development and construction, the first copies of the aircraft according to the plan will be certified in 2016, and flight tests will begin at the same time. The start of serial production of MS-21 is expected in 2017-2018. On the Russian passenger aircraft market, these airliners should replace the Tu-154 and Tu-204 and will be operated on domestic and international routes.

The project is not developing the largest passenger aircraft in the world, but the family of airliners being created will include various aircraft of three types in length and passenger capacity - with 150, 180 and 210 seats. The model range will contain aircraft with an increased flight range. The vessel's cruising altitude will be 11,600 kilometers, the speed that the liner will develop will be 870 km/h, and the maximum fuselage length will be 39.5 meters. The crew will consist of two people.

As for the progress of work, the base of the project is the Yak-242. The development of the new wing belongs to the Sukhoi Civil Aircraft company, fuselage work is carried out directly by the Irkut corporation and the Yakovlev Design Bureau.

It is expected that the new airliners will be more economical due to the use of modern composite materials, as well as new generation engines. The aircraft will be equipped with Pratt & Whitney geared turbofan engines; in the future, it is possible to install domestic Perm PD-14 engines.

Surprisingly, these huge monsters are flying in the sky. They weigh hundreds of tons, cost hundreds of millions of dollars, and are almost as long as a football stadium.

The An-225 Mriya (translated from Ukrainian as “dream”) is the heaviest cargo-lifting aircraft ever taken into the air. The maximum take-off weight of the aircraft is 640 tons. The reason for the construction of the An-225 was the need to create an aviation transport system for the Soviet reusable spacecraft Buran project. The plane exists in a single copy.

The aircraft was designed in the USSR and built in 1988 at the Kiev Mechanical Plant. "Mriya" set a world record for take-off weight and carrying capacity. On March 22, 1989, the An-225 flew with a load of 156.3 tons, thereby simultaneously breaking 110 world aviation records, which is a record in itself.

"Mriya" and small cars.

Dornier Do X is a German passenger flying boat manufactured by Dornier. Intended for operation on long-distance passenger airlines. The first flight took place in 1929. On October 20, the aircraft took off from Lake Constance with 169 passengers on board during a 40-minute demonstration flight. This record remained unsurpassed in the first half of the 20th century.

Length - 40.05 m, wingspan - 48.0 m, number of passengers - 160.

The Dornier Do X's cockpit had no engine controls. Instead, as on large seagoing vessels of the time, the pilot transmitted (by telephone) the command to increase or decrease power to the flight engineer located in a separate cabin.

The flight engineer controls twelve aircraft engines:

This is the largest aircraft with a single propeller, the largest propeller in history. Four connected 260-horsepower Mercedes D.IVa engines drove a huge propeller mounted in the nose.

Looking only at photographs, it is completely impossible to understand the gigantic dimensions of the R.II 55/17 (For some reason, there are no photographs of people standing near the aircraft that give a sense of scale.

The R.II could carry a maximum payload of 7000 kg with a total flight weight of 15000 kg... The upper wing span was 42.16 m, the length was 20.32 m. It made its first flight in January 1919.

Soviet propaganda, multi-seat passenger, 8-engine aircraft, the largest aircraft of its time with a land landing gear. Built at the aviation plant in Voronezh. It made its first flight on June 17, 1934. Length - 33 meters.

In 1934, the plane set two world records, lifting loads weighing 10,000 kg and 15,000 kg to a height of 5,000 m. In 1935, during a demonstration flight, the plane crashed into the holiday village of Sokol. 49 people died

After the crash of the ANT-20, it was decided to build an improved backup, the ANT-20 bis, but neither it nor the ANT-20 were ever put into production.

This is a transport wooden flying boat, which received the unofficial nickname Spruce Goose (“Goldfinch, Dude,” literally “Spruce Goose”).

Weight is 130 tons, and its wingspan still remains a record - 98 meters (Mriya's is 88.4 m). It was designed to transport 750 soldiers when fully equipped.

It is currently on display at the Evergreen International Aviation Museum in McMinnville, Oregon, where it was moved in 1993. The plane is visited by about 300,000 tourists annually.

The Bristol Brabazon is an experimental British passenger aircraft built in 1949. The largest aircraft ever built in the UK.

Length - 54m, wingspan - 70m.

By 1952, it became clear that the upper end of the air travel market would never pay for an aircraft built only for first class service. Even in “general” class, each Brabazon passenger had 6 cubic meters of internal volume, in first class - 8 cubic meters; the plane literally “carried” these cubic meters of fuselage. In March 1952, the government refused to support the completion of the second, turboprop model, and in 1953 both vehicles were sent for scrap.

The world's first long-range, double-deck, wide-body passenger aircraft. The first flight took place on February 9, 1969. At the time of its inception, the Boeing 747 was the largest, heaviest and most spacious passenger airliner, remaining so for 36 years until the introduction of the A380, which first flew in 2005.

The Boeing 747-400 consists of 6 million parts (half of which are fasteners) manufactured in 33 different countries. During Operation Solomon (Israel's military operation to transport Ethiopian Jews to Israel), a world record was set for the number of passengers transported in one flight by one aircraft - on May 24, 1991, an El Al Boeing 747 transported 1,122 passengers to Israel. Moreover, two babies were born during the flight.

The new Boeing 747-8 is a new generation of the famous Boeing 747 series with a stretched fuselage, redesigned wing and improved economic efficiency. The 747-8 is the largest commercial aircraft built in the United States, as well as the longest passenger aircraft in the world.

Length - 76.3 m, wingspan - 68.5 m.

This is a heavy long-range transport aircraft developed by the Design Bureau named after. O. K. Antonova. It was created primarily for air transportation of mobile launchers of intercontinental ballistic missiles. The prototype aircraft made its first flight on December 24, 1982 in Kyiv. The aircraft entered service with the USSR military transport aviation in January 1987; a total of 56 aircraft were built.

Load capacity - 120 tons, length - 69.1 m, wingspan - 73.3 m. In October 1997, a record was set for the weight of transported commercial cargo. A chemical reactor weighing 125 tons was delivered from Paris to Doha, and the total weight of the cargo with special equipment was 140 tons.

Repair and modernization of An-124 Ruslan aircraft is now carried out at the aircraft manufacturing plant in Ulyanovsk.

It was built in 1966. It was the largest aircraft in the world before the An-225, which received the name “Caspian monster” from foreign intelligence services. Length - 92 m, wingspan - 37.6 m, maximum take-off weight - 544,000 kg.

The largest production passenger airliner in the world, surpassing the capacity of the Boeing 747, which can only carry up to 525 passengers (the Boeing 747 was the largest passenger airliner for 36 years). Its length is 73 meters, wingspan is 79.75 meters, maximum take-off weight is 560 tons (the weight of the aircraft itself is 280 tons).

Start of production - 2004. The first aircraft sold was delivered to the customer on October 15, 2007.

Beriev Be-2500 “Neptune” is an ambitious project of a super-heavy amphibious transport aircraft, developed at the Taganrog TANTK named after. G. M. Berieva. Is the largest aircraft ever conceived. Length - 115.5 m, wingspan - 125.5 m, take-off weight - 2.5 million kg, maximum payload - up to 1 million kg.

The project remained a project, and in the state program “Development of the Aviation Industry for 2013-2025” adopted at the end of 2012, there is no mention of the aircraft.

LZ 129 "Hindenburg" is a rigid airship built in 1936 in Germany. It was the largest airship in the world created up to that time.

The Hindenburg first flew at Friedrichafen on March 4, 1936. On May 6, 1937, while completing another transatlantic flight, the Hindenburg, filled with flammable hydrogen, caught fire and crashed, killing 35 of the 97 people on board, as well as one member of the ground crew. The crash of the Hindenburg effectively marked the end of the commercial use of airships for transport purposes.

The creation and start of production of the double-deck wide-body airliner Airbus A380 put an end to the undivided monopoly of the aircraft, which lasted for several decades. The car is the largest passenger airliner in the world.

Reliability and reduced operating costs ensure good demand for the machine, despite its high cost. The most expensive option was supplied to the family of the King of Saudi Arabia, and cost the customer 488 million US dollars.

History of creation

Work on a new large-sized Airbus airliner began in the late 80s. The aircraft was created as a competitor to the Boeing 747 airliner, which had a monopoly on the niche of such aircraft since the 70s. At the same time, a similar aircraft was being developed by the McDonnell Douglas Corporation, but its project was a failure.

The management of Boeing and Airbus realized the limitations of the market for high-capacity aircraft, so in 1993 attempts were made to enter into a partnership agreement that would allow them to divide the market. In parallel, the development of projects was underway, called “Airbus” 3XX and “Boeing” 747X.

For the Airbus, several fuselage options were developed, including a twin-length fuselage from the 340 model. The Boeing aircraft was supposed to be equipped with a fuselage with a nose section increased in height.

Development of the Boeing project was stopped in early 1997 due to the emerging economic crisis in East Asia, which reduced the market for large aircraft.

Airbus decided to continue development of the project, concentrating on reducing operating costs while increasing capacity. It was then that the decision was made to use a double-deck fuselage, which ensured the maximum capacity of the aircraft.

The A380 designation appeared at the end of 2000, when the project was approved by the then management of Airbus. Assembly of the first aircraft began in 2002. A special feature of the production of the A380 aircraft was the use of the production facilities of several dozen enterprises scattered throughout Europe.

The first flight of the Airbus A380 took place in the spring of 2005, and already at the beginning of 2006 the first test flight across the Atlantic Ocean was carried out.

Finalizing the design and solving problems that arose with suppliers shifted the start of aircraft production to 2007, in which only one copy was delivered. Actual deliveries began only the following year, in which 12 A380 aircraft were assembled.

At the beginning of 2017, there were 207 Airbus A380 aircraft in active operation, owned by twelve airlines. During the operation of the aircraft, several minor flight accidents were recorded.

In particular, in the fall of 2017, on one of the Air France airliners, elements of a turbojet engine separated in flight. The cause of the incident was determined to be a manufacturing defect in the fan hub of the GP7200 engine.

Fuselage and cockpit

The fuselage of the Airbus A380-800 aircraft is equipped with two decks to accommodate passenger seats. Between the decks there are stairs located in the bow and tail of the passenger compartment. When laying out the stairs, it was possible to ensure a width sufficient for the free movement of passengers towards each other.

Carbon fiber composites are widely used in the fuselage structure.

The end section of the fuselage is entirely made of composite. A tail horizontal and vertical stabilizer is attached to it. Inside there is a service compartment and an auxiliary gas turbine unit with a generator.

In the forward part of the fuselage there is a pilot's cabin equipped with two seats. To display data, the cockpit is equipped with liquid crystal monitors (the “glass cockpit” concept) of a unified design that allows devices to be replaced.

Pilots do not have a traditional helm. The steering wheel is replaced by joysticks located on the outside of the seats. Joysticks are connected to electric drive controls. The cockpit contains more than 100 thousand wires connecting various electronic and electrical components.

In front of the pilots there is a folding table with a keyboard. Between the seats there are controls, including four throttle levers for controlling engine operating modes.

The Airbus A380 wing was created based on a take-off weight of at least 650 thousand kg, which is considered achievable on future versions.

In addition, this weight was planned for the cargo version of the A380-800F aircraft, which never went into production.

Engines

Depending on the modification, the Airbus A380 airliner can be equipped with Trent 900 family turbojet engines manufactured by Rolls-Royce or GP7200 developed by Engine Alliance.

The GP7200 powerplant is a collection of components developed by several major engine manufacturers. Both types of engines meet modern noise requirements during takeoff and landing.

The table shows some engine characteristics.

To reduce the travel distance, two engines have a thrust reverser (one under each wing). The engines use aviation kerosene as fuel.

Exploration work is underway to operate power plants using a mixture of kerosene and natural gas converted into liquid fuel. The fuel supply is located in 13 caisson tanks located in the wings and horizontal tail.

The fuel system has 41 pumps that constantly move fuel between tanks to maintain alignment and reduce drag.

Passenger compartment design

The pressurized passenger cabin of the Airbus A380 aircraft has improved sound insulation. The width of the fuselage allows for 11 rows of passenger seats.

All places are connected to communication lines built on the basis of fiber optics.

Passengers board and disembark through two doors located in the forward fuselage on the lower deck.

First grade

The seats are located in the bow of the lower deck. There are 14 seats in total, 4 of which are located singly on the sides, the remaining 6 are located in the central row in pairs. A special feature of first class seats is the ability to be folded into a full-fledged berth.

At the beginning and end of the compartment there is a bathroom and a kitchenette. In addition, first class has a shower facility (not available on all Airbus A380s).

Business Class

Business class seats are located immediately behind first class. The seats are arranged in eight rows at a fairly large distance from each other. The design of the chairs allows the backrests to be folded out to form a sleeping area.

There are a total of 20 rows of seats, the total capacity of the business class cabin is 76 seats.

At the beginning and end of the salon there are kitchenettes and a bathroom. A bar counter is located in the area of ​​the first emergency exit. The second emergency exit is located towards the rear of the Airbus A380.

Economy class

Economy class seats on the Airbus A380 are located on the upper deck in three rows. The side rows have three seats, the central row has four. There are two aisles between the rows. There are bathrooms in the bow, stern and middle parts.

The cabin is designed for 399 passengers. Passenger seats are equipped with an individual screen mounted in the backrest. The economy class cabin has two kitchenettes and three bathrooms.

In an emergency, economy class passengers can leave the Airbus A380 cabin through 10 emergency exits.

It is possible to expand the economy class cabin to the second deck. In this case, the capacity of the Airbus A380 reaches a record 853 passengers.

Chassis

In the scheme for extending and retracting the landing gear on the Airbus A380, a combined drive is used - from hydraulic systems (duplicated) and from electric actuators (also duplicated). Electric actuators operate the chassis via hydraulic systems.

In this way, it was possible to install four independent control systems, which increased the safety of the aircraft and reduced the risk of dangerous situations. The landing gear niches are closed with landing gear doors made of composite materials. The design of the doors is monolithic.

Flight performance compared to competitors

Prospects

In mid-2017, Airbus announced the creation of an improved A380 Plus. The main direction of improvements was to reduce the cost of the aircraft, which in theory should increase demand for the aircraft.

At the same time, the redesigned cabins are designed to accommodate a record 933 passengers. Capacity has been improved due to a tighter cabin layout and a reduction in the area of ​​service compartments.

Externally, the A380 Plus is not very different from its predecessor - the main changes affected the design of the wing, which should have reduced drag.

Modified Rolls-Royce and Engine Alliance power plants have reduced fuel consumption and increased thrust by 7%, but there is no official data on them in the public domain.

Video