The maximum passenger capacity of the aircraft. The biggest planes in the world

The aircraft itself is already an engineering genius. Making hundreds of tons of iron rise above the ground is not a trivial task. Even the smallest details matter, it takes the highest precision and hard work of hundreds of people to create even the simplest aircraft by today's standards.

All the more challenging for aircraft designers to experiment with materials, sizes, technologies in order to create aircraft ever lighter, ever more economical, ever larger than their predecessors. This article will focus on the largest passenger aircraft. Now in the world there are two main players producing huge passenger aircraft - Boeing and Airbus.

Competition between them led to the creation of colossal machines. Among them, the recognized leader is the Airbus-A380. The span of its huge wings almost reaches 80 m, and the length is 73 m. Read about him, as well as about other flying giants, below.

Airbus-A380

Wingspan - 79.75 m
Length - 72.75 m
Height - 24.08 m
Weight - 280 t
Takeoff weight, max. - 560 t
Number of engines - 4
Passenger capacity, max. - 853 people

The production of this aircraft began in 2005, it was put into operation already in 2007. Since that time, it officially occupies the first place among passenger aircraft not only in size, but also in capacity, as well as in many other parameters. For example, for aircraft of this category, it is the most economical. Its fuel consumption is only 3 liters per passenger per 100 kilometers.

Such a huge aircraft could not take off if it was built from traditional materials - it would simply be too heavy, and there would not be enough lift from the wings to lift it off the ground. Therefore, the main challenge for engineers and designers was the task of minimizing its weight.

The solution to this problem became possible through the use of the latest composite materials, some of which were specially designed for this aircraft. For example, the central and main part of the wing (which itself weighs 11 tons!) is 40 percent carbon fiber. Laser technology was used to weld structural elements, which significantly increased the reliability of the joints and reduced the number of fasteners.

Among other things, the designers took care of environmental friendliness. By reducing the amount of fuel consumed by 17% compared to the Boeing 747, they have also achieved a reduction in CO2 emissions - they are 75 grams per passenger per 1 km of travel.

Boeing 747

Wingspan - 68.5 m
Length - 76.3 m
Height - 19.4 m
Weight - 214.5 t
Takeoff weight, max. - 442.2 t
Number of engines - 4
Passenger capacity, max. - 581 people
Manufacturer - Boeing

The Boeing 747 held the lead among passenger aircraft for over 36 years, from 1969 to 2005. In 1970, the release of this aircraft into mass production was a breakthrough, because the construction of such a new model entailed a whole series of changes in the production process, technology, operational requirements, and even pilot training methods.

Initially, it was not planned to produce a large number of 747s, but when this model proved its reliability, many world airlines began to order it, because the volume of passenger traffic began to increase sharply, and it was profitable to maintain roomy aircraft. Currently, 1.5 thousand 747s fly in the world in such companies as British Airways, Korean Air, China Airlines. In Russia, the 747th is operated by the Rossiya company. She inherited five 747s from the collapsed Transaero company.

The 747 also holds significant records: in 1989, it was this aircraft, owned by the Australian Qantas Airways, that made a direct flight to Sydney from the British capital, covering 18,000 km in just over 20 hours. True, he flew empty: without cargo and passengers. Another record is related to the number of passengers: in 1997, 1112 people flew on it to Israel during the military operation Solomon.

The 747 was also used to transport the Space Shuttle. For such transportation, space shuttles are installed on the aircraft "on the back".

The most characteristic detail of the 747th is the "hump" on the fuselage. It was originally planned that the fuselage would be double-deck along the entire length, but this option had to be abandoned for technical reasons. Therefore, the second deck of this Boeing is short.

Such a superstructure was designed so that the bow of the ship could be modified into a cargo ramp, because it was assumed that the 747 would be operated primarily for the transport of goods.

There are 7 modifications of the Boeing-747, almost all of them have both passenger and cargo and cargo-passenger versions. It will not be a mistake to say that the 747 is one of the most common aircraft of this type in the world.

Airbus A340-600

Wingspan - 63.45 m
Length - 75.36 m
Height - 17.22 m
Weight - 177 t
Takeoff weight, max. - 380 t
Number of engines - 4
Passenger capacity, max. - 419 people
Manufacturer - Concern Airbus S.A.S

Airbus S.A.S owns another giant aircraft. This is the Airbus A340-600, which, before the release of one of the modifications of the Boeing 747, was the world's longest passenger aircraft.

Its commercial release began in 2002, in 2011 it was stopped. For 9 years, 97 aircraft of this modification were produced. 340-600 was created specifically for intercontinental flights. Its declared flight range is 14,600 km without refueling.

Boeing 777-300ER

Wingspan - 64.8 m
Length - 73.9 m
Height - 18.7 m
Weight - 166.9 t
Takeoff weight, max. - 351.5 t
Number of engines - 2
Passenger capacity, max. - 365 people
Manufacturer - Boeing

The letters ER in the name of the modification denote Extended Range - increased range. He is able to fly 14,690 km without refueling due to the increase in fuel compared to the previous modification of the "three sevens". It is this aircraft that is the main competitor of the Airbus A340-600 and the best-selling 777 in the world. Currently, about 400 aircraft of this modification are operated in the world.

The aircraft of this model are equipped with the most powerful General Electric 90-115B turbofan jet engines in the world, which provide a maximum thrust of 513 kN. Modification 300ER has reinforced structural elements compared to its predecessors: landing gear, plumage, wings, as well as additional fuel tanks.

People are always attracted by some kind of record - record planes always get a lot of attention

3rd place: Airbus A380

Airbus A380 is a wide-body double-deck jet passenger aircraft, created by Airbus S.A.S. (formerly Airbus Industrie) is the largest production airliner in the world.

The height of the aircraft is 24.08 meters, the length is 72.75 (80.65) meters, the wingspan is 79.75 meters. The A380 can fly non-stop for distances up to 15,400 km. Capacity - 525 passengers in the cabin of three classes; 853 passengers in single class configuration. A cargo modification of the A380F is also provided with the ability to carry cargo up to 150 tons over a distance of up to 10,370 km.

The development of the Airbus A380 took about 10 years, the cost of the entire program amounted to about 12 billion euros. Airbus says it needs to sell 420 aircraft to recoup its costs, although some analysts estimate the figure should be much higher.
According to the developers, the most difficult part in the creation of the A380 was the problem of reducing its mass. It was solved due to the widespread use of composite materials both in load-bearing structural elements and in auxiliary units, interiors, etc.

Advanced technologies and improved aluminum alloys were also used to reduce the weight of the aircraft. So, 11-ton center section for 40% of its mass consists of carbon fiber. The top and side panels of the fuselage are made from Glare hybrid material. On the lower fuselage panels, laser welding of stringers and skin was used, which significantly reduced the number of fasteners.
According to Airbus, per passenger, the Airbus A380 burns 17% less fuel than "the largest aircraft today" (apparently referring to the Boeing 747). The less fuel burned, the less carbon dioxide emissions. For an aircraft, CO2 emissions per passenger are only 75 grams per kilometer. This is almost half the CO2 emission limit set by the European Union for cars manufactured in 2008.

The first A320 aircraft sold was handed over to the customer on October 15, 2007 after a lengthy acceptance testing phase and entered service on October 25, 2007 on a commercial flight between Singapore and Sydney. Two months later, Singapore Airlines President Chu Chong Seng said the Airbus A380 was performing better than expected and consuming 20% less fuel per passenger than the company's existing Boeing 747-400s.

The upper and lower decks of the aircraft are connected by two ladders, at the nose and tail of the liner, wide enough to accommodate two passengers shoulder to shoulder. In a 555-passenger configuration, the A380 has 33% more passenger space than a Boeing 747-400 in standard three-class configuration, but has 50% more space and volume, resulting in more space per passenger.

The maximum certified capacity of the aircraft is 853 passengers when configured with a single economy class. The announced configurations range from 450 seats (for Qantas Airways) to 644 (for Emirates Airline, with two comfort classes).

2nd place: Hughes H-4 Hercules

Hughes H-4 Hercules (eng. Hughes H-4 Hercules) is a transport wooden flying boat developed by the American company Hughes Aircraft under the direction of Howard Hughes. This 136-ton aircraft, originally designated as the NK-1 and given the unofficial nickname Spruce Goose ("Goldfinch, Dude", literally "Spruce Goose"), was the largest flying boat ever built, and its wingspan still remains a record - 98 meters. It was designed to transport 750 soldiers fully equipped.

At the start of World War II, the U.S. government gave Hughes $13 million to build a prototype flying craft, but the aircraft was not ready by the end of hostilities, due to aluminum shortages and Hughes' stubbornness in trying to build the perfect machine.

Specifications

Crew: 3 people
Length: 66.45 m
Wingspan: 97.54 m
Height: 24.08 m
Fuselage height: 9.1 m
Wing area: 1061.88 m?
Maximum takeoff weight: 180 tons
Payload weight: up to 59,000 kg
Fuel capacity: 52,996 l
Engines: 8? air-cooled Pratt&Whitney R-4360-4A, 3000 hp each with. (2240 kW) each
Propellers: 8? four-bladed Hamilton Standard, 5.23 m in diameter

Flight characteristics

Top speed: 351 mph (565.11 km/h)
Cruise speed: 250 mph (407.98 km/h)
Flight range: 5634 km
Practical ceiling: 7165 m.

Despite its nickname, the aircraft is built almost entirely from birch, more precisely from birch plywood glued to a pattern.

The Hercules aircraft, piloted by Howard Hughes himself, made its first and only flight only on November 2, 1947, when it took off to a height of 21 meters and covered approximately two kilometers in a straight line over Los Angeles Harbor.

After a long period of storage (Hughes kept the aircraft in working order until his death in 1976, spending up to $ 1 million a year on this), the aircraft was sent to the Long Beach Museum, California.

The aircraft is visited annually by about 300,000 tourists. The biography of the creator of the aircraft Howard Hughes and the testing of the aircraft are shown in Martin Scorsese's film The Aviator.

It is currently on display at the Evergreen International Aviation Museum in McMinnville, Oregon, where it was moved in 1993.

1st place: AN-225 This is a plane! Of course he's Russian!

This machine was designed and built in a very short time: the first drawings began to be created in 1985, and in 1988 the transport aircraft was already built. The reason for such a short time can be quite easily explained: the fact is that the Mriya was created on the basis of well-developed components and assemblies of the An-124 Ruslan. So, for example, the fuselage of the Mriya has the same transverse dimensions as the An-124, but longer than it, the wingspan and area have increased. The same structure as that of Ruslan has a wing, but additional sections have been added to it. The An-225 has two additional engines. The landing gear of the aircraft is similar to the chassis of the Ruslan, but it has seven instead of five racks. The cargo compartment has been changed quite seriously. Initially, two aircraft were laid down, but only one An-225 was completed. The second copy of the unique aircraft is about 70% ready and can be completed at any time, subject to proper funding. For its completion, an amount of 100-120 million dollars is needed.

On February 1, 1989, the aircraft was shown to the general public, and in May of the same year, the An-225 made a non-stop flight from Baikonur to Kyiv, carrying a Buran weighing sixty tons on its back. In the same month, the An-225 delivered the Buran spacecraft to the Paris air show and made a splash there. In total, the aircraft has 240 world records, including the transport of the heaviest cargo (253 tons), the heaviest monolithic cargo (188 tons) and the longest cargo.

The An-225 Mriya aircraft was originally designed for the needs of the Soviet space industry. In those years, the Soviet Union was building the Buran, its first reusable ship, an analogue of the American shuttle. To implement this project, a transport system was needed, with which it was possible to transport large loads. It was for these purposes that Mriya was conceived. In addition to the components and assemblies of the spacecraft itself, it was necessary to deliver parts of the Energia rocket, which also had colossal dimensions. All this was delivered from the place of production to the points of final assembly. The units and components of Energia and Buran were manufactured in the central regions of the USSR, and the final assembly took place in Kazakhstan, at the Baikonur cosmodrome. In addition, the An-225 was originally designed so that in the future it could carry the completed Buran spacecraft. Also, the An-225 could carry bulky cargo for the needs of the national economy, for example, equipment for the mining, oil and gas industries.

In addition to participating in the Soviet space program, the aircraft was to be used to transport oversized cargo over long distances. This work An-225 "Mriya" will perform today.

The general functions and tasks of the machine can be described as follows:

transportation of general-purpose cargo (oversized, heavy) with a total weight of up to 250 tons;
intracontinental non-stop transportation of goods weighing 180–200 tons;
intercontinental transportation of goods weighing up to 150 tons;
transportation of heavy oversized cargo on an external sling with a total weight of up to 200 tons;
use of aircraft for air launch of spacecraft.

Other, even more ambitious tasks were set before the unique aircraft, and they were also associated with space. The An-225 "Mriya" aircraft was supposed to become a kind of flying cosmodrome, a platform from which spaceships and rockets would be launched into orbit. "Mriya", as conceived by the designers, was to become the first step for the launch of reusable spacecraft of the "Buran" type. Therefore, initially the designers were faced with the task of making an aircraft with a carrying capacity of at least 250 tons.

The Soviet shuttle was supposed to start from the "back" of the aircraft. This method of launching vehicles into near-Earth orbit has many serious advantages. Firstly, there is no need to build very expensive ground-based launch complexes, and secondly, launching a rocket or spacecraft from an aircraft saves fuel significantly and allows increasing the payload of a spacecraft. In some cases, this may allow you to completely abandon the first stage of the rocket.

Various air launch options are being developed at the present time. The United States is especially active in this direction; there are also Russian developments.

Alas, with the collapse of the Soviet Union, the "air launch" project, with the participation of the An-225, was practically buried. This aircraft was an active participant in the Energia-Buran program. An-225 carried out fourteen flights with Buran on the top of the fuselage, hundreds of tons of various cargoes were transported under this program.

After 1991, funding for the Energia-Buran program ceased, and the An-225 was left without work. Only in 2000 did the modernization of the machine begin for commercial use. The An-225 "Mriya" aircraft has unique technical characteristics, a huge carrying capacity and can carry bulky cargo on its fuselage - all this makes the aircraft very popular for commercial transportation.

Since that time, the An-225 has performed many flights and transported hundreds of tons of various cargoes. Some transport operations can be safely called unique and unparalleled in the history of aviation. The plane took part in humanitarian operations several times. After the devastating tsunami, he delivered power generators to Samoa, transported construction equipment to earthquake-ravaged Haiti, and helped clean up the aftermath of an earthquake in Japan.

In 2009, the An-225 aircraft was upgraded and its service life was extended.

The An-225 "Mriya" aircraft is made according to the classical scheme, with high-raised wings of small sweep. The cabin is located in front of the aircraft, the cargo hatch is also located in the nose of the machine. The aircraft is made according to the two-keel scheme. Such a decision is associated with the need to transport goods on the fuselage of the aircraft. The glider of the An-225 aircraft has very high aerodynamic properties, the value of the aerodynamic quality of this machine is 19, which is an excellent indicator not only for transport, but also for passenger aircraft. This, in turn, greatly improved the performance of the aircraft and reduced fuel consumption.

Almost the entire internal space of the fuselage is occupied by the cargo compartment. Compared to the An-124, it has grown by 10% (by seven meters). At the same time, the wingspan increased by only 20%, two more engines were added, and the aircraft's carrying capacity increased by one and a half times. During the construction of the An-225, drawings, components and assemblies of the An-124 were actively used, thanks to which the aircraft was able to be created in such a short time. Here are the main differences between the An-225 and the An-124 Ruslan:

New center section;
increased fuselage length;
single-keel tail unit was replaced with a two-keel one;
lack of a tail cargo hatch;
the number of main landing gear racks has been increased from five to seven;
system of fastening and pressurization of external loads;
two additional D-18T engines were installed.

Unlike Ruslan, Mriya has only one cargo hatch, which is located in the nose of the aircraft. Like its predecessor, "Mriya" can change the clearance and angle of the fuselage, which is extremely convenient for loading and unloading. The chassis has three supports: a front two-column and two main ones, each of which consists of seven pillars. At the same time, all racks are independent of each other and are produced separately.

To take off without a load, the aircraft needs a runway 2400 meters long, with a load - 3500 meters.

An-225 has six D-18T engines suspended under the wings, as well as two auxiliary power units located inside the fuselage.

The cargo compartment is sealed and equipped with all the necessary equipment for loading operations. Inside the fuselage, the An-225 can carry up to sixteen standard aviation containers (each weighing ten tons), fifty cars or any cargo weighing up to two hundred tons (turbines, extra large trucks, generators). On top of the fuselage, special fastenings are provided for the transportation of bulky cargo.D

Specifications An-225 "Mriya"

Wingspan, m 88.4
Length, m 84.0
Height, m 18.2
Weight, kg

Empty 250000
Maximum takeoff 600000
Fuel mass 300000
Engine 6*TRDD D-18T
Specific fuel consumption, kg/kgf h 0.57-0.63
Cruising speed, km/h 850
Practical range, km 15600
Range, km 4500
Practical ceiling, m 11000
Crew of six people
Payload, kg 250000-450000.

An-225 is a Soviet transport jet aircraft of extra-large payload developed by OKB im. O.K. Antonov, is the largest aircraft in the world.

Airbus A380 is the largest passenger aircraft in the world. In a single-class layout, it can take 853 passengers on board, there is also the A380-1000 project, which can accommodate 1073 passengers in economy class.

2. The Airbus A380 made its first flight on April 27, 2005, and began operating on October 25, 2007. This month we will celebrate our 10th anniversary.

3. Several countries are involved in the production of the liner. The main sections of the airliner are being built at factories in France, Great Britain, Germany and Spain. Russia also did not stand aside. The design of the A380F was attended by employees of the Airbus ECAR Engineering Center in Moscow, the first design bureau established by the concern in Europe outside the territories of its member countries in June 2003. Russian designers perform a significant amount of work on the design of fuselage parts, strength calculations, placement of on-board equipment and support for serial production of aircraft.

4. Airbus is very open and often organizes events for aviation enthusiasts. On October 1, together with Domodedovo Airport, another spotting was held. To get to spotting, follow the accounts of Airbus and Domodedovo Airport. But if you don't want to wait, you can take a picture of the Airbus from behind the fence, now you can do it during daylight hours and every day.

5. Wingspan Airbus A380 is 79.75 m, and the wing area is 845 m². The wing size of the A380 is designed for a maximum takeoff weight of over 650 tons. The flight range for the A380-800 model is 15,400 km.

6. The length of the takeoff run of the airliner is 2050 m, the length of the run is 2900 m.

Cruise speed is 900 km/h and top speed is 1020 km/h.

7. Domodedovo Airport became the first airport certified to receive the A380. For this, special equipment had to be purchased. For example, the height of the aircraft is 24.09 m - this is an eight-story building. You need to get to such a height, for example,.
By the way, the equipment is delivered because of the large size.

8. Currently, Domodedovo Airport remains the only airport in Russia that receives Airbus A380 on a regular basis. Since October 1, the Emirates Airbus A380 has been flying on the Dubai-Moscow-Dubai route.

9. There are known cases of manufacturing A380 by special order of individuals. The first to order a personal Airbus A380 Super Jumbo was the Saudi prince Al-Walid ibn Talal, the nephew of King Abdullah. The price of the order is $488 million US dollars.

10. Now 215 Airbus A380 aircraft have been produced in the world, orders have been received for another 100 aircraft. On average, Airbus now produces about 30 A380 aircraft per year.

Thanks to the staff of Airbus and Domodedovo Airport for the invitation to spotting. It was very cool.

The future has already arrived
The largest passenger aircraft in the world, the Airbus A380 (Airbus A380), has been operating on carrier routes since October 2007. The first operator of the airliner was Singapore, which put the A380 on the service of the Singapore-Sydney line. Soon the giant aircraft Airbus A380 joined the intercontinental airlines of other international airlines and began to operate flights between the largest airports in Europe, Asia, North America and Australia. The largest customers of the aircraft are, and.

Extraordinary comfort
The brainchild of the European aircraft manufacturer Airbus, the Airbus A380 aircraft is capable of carrying 555 passengers over a distance of 15,000 km in a standard three-class layout (first, business, economy) and up to 700 people in a one-class layout (only economy class). The aircraft's double-deck passenger cabin provides the highest level of in-flight comfort, with first-class sleeper cabins, business-class lounge chairs and state-of-the-art economy class seats. The huge dimensions of the aircraft make it possible to place special walking recreation areas, bar counters and spiral staircases in them.

Huge size
The Airbus A380 is the largest passenger aircraft in the world both in terms of size and weight. The length of the aircraft is 73 meters, height - 24 m, wingspan - 80 m. The wing area of the Airbus A380 is 845 square meters, takeoff weight - 560 tons. The giant is lifted into the air by four powerful Rolls-Royce Trent 970 engines with a diameter of 3 meters (the American Engine Alliance GP7200 will also be installed on subsequent aircraft).

Photo The airline's first Airbus A380 belongs to renowned aviation photographer Andrew Hunt.

Photo of the world's largest passenger aircraft Airbus A380

The first production aircraft Airbus A380 in the color of the aircraft manufacturer Airbus

An Airbus A380 aircraft made its first scheduled flight on the Singapore-Sydney route, October 25, 2007.

The first production aircraft Airbus A380 operates on the lines of the airline

Airbus A380 first class cabin

Airbus A380 economy class cabin

Innovative cockpit of the Airbus A380

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 liner in the world.

Reliability and reduced operating costs provide a good demand for the machine, despite the high cost. The most expensive version was delivered to the family of the king of Saudi Arabia, and cost the customer 488 million US dollars.

History of creation

The beginning of work on a new large-sized airliner "Airbus" started in the late 80s. The aircraft was created as a competitor to the Boeing 747 airliner, which had monopolistically occupied the niche of such aircraft since the 70s. In parallel, a similar aircraft was developed by McDonnell Douglas Corporation, but its project was a failure.

The management of Boeing and Airbus was aware of the limitations of the market for large-capacity aircraft, so in 1993 attempts were made to enter into a partnership agreement that allowed them to divide the market. In parallel, the development of projects that received the names "Airbus" 3XX and "Boeing" 747X.

For the Airbus machine, several variants of the fuselage were worked out, including a fuselage doubled in length from the model 340. The Boeing aircraft was supposed to be equipped with a fuselage with a nose increased in height.

The development of the Boeing project was stopped in early 1997 due to the economic crisis in East Asia, which reduced the market for large airliners.

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

The designation A380 appeared at the end of 2000, when the project was approved by the then management of Airbus. The assembly of the first aircraft began in 2002. A feature of the manufacture 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 in early 2006, the first test flight across the Atlantic Ocean was completed.

Fine-tuning the design and solving problems that arose with suppliers shifted the start of aircraft production to 2007, in which only one copy was commissioned. Actual deliveries did not begin until the following year, in which 12 A380s were assembled.

At the beginning of 2017, 207 Airbus A380 liners, which belong to twelve airlines, were in active operation. During the operation of the aircraft, several minor flight accidents were registered.

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 accident was a manufacturing defect in the fan hub of the GP7200 engine.

Fuselage and cockpit

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

Carbon fiber composites are widely used in the fuselage design.

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 is the cockpit, equipped with two seats. To display data in the cockpit, liquid crystal monitors (the “glass cockpit” concept) are installed with a unified design that allows you to replace devices.

Pilots do not have a traditional steering wheel. The steering wheel is replaced by joysticks located on the outside of the seats. Joysticks are connected with electric drives controls. There are more than 100,000 wires in the cockpit connecting various electronic and electrical components.

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

The Airbus A380 wing was created based on a takeoff weight of at least 650,000 kg, which is considered achievable on future versions.

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

Engines

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

The GP7200 powerplant is a collection of components developed by several of the world's largest engine manufacturers. Both types of engines meet modern requirements for noise during takeoff and landing.

The table shows some characteristics of the engines.

Parameter	Trent 900	GP7200
Type	Turbofan three-shaft	Turbofan twin-shaft
Combustion chamber type	Single	Single with a reduced level of emission of harmful substances
Turbine design	One stage each for high and medium pressure, 5 stages for low pressure	Two stages of high pressure and 6-stage low
Compressor	One fan wheel, 8-stage medium pressure and 6-stage high	Fan, 5-stage low pressure and 9-stage high pressure
Length, mm	5478	4920
Diameter, mm	2950	3160
Weight, kg	6246	6712
Takeoff thrust, kN	310-340	311

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

Search 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 pump fuel between tanks to maintain centering 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 you to place 11 rows of passenger seats.

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

Embarkation and disembarkation of passengers is carried out through two doors located in the forward part of the fuselage on the lower deck.

First grade

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

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

Business Class

Seats for business class passengers are located immediately behind the first class. The seats are arranged in eight rows at a sufficiently large distance from each other. The design of the chairs allows you to lay out the backs, forming a sleeping place.

In total there are 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 mini-kitchens and a bathroom. There is a bar in the area of the first emergency exit. The second emergency exit is located closer to the tail 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 back. The economy class cabin has two mini-kitchens 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 executive electric drives (also duplicated). Electric drives drive the chassis through hydraulic systems.

Thus, it was possible to install four independent control systems, which increased the safety of aircraft operation 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 valves is monolithic.

Flight performance compared to competitors

Parameter	A380	A380 Plus	Boeing 747-8F
Wingspan, mm	79 800		68 450
Length, mm	73 000		76 250
Height, mm	24 100		19 350
Empty weight, kg	276 800		191 100
Maximum takeoff weight, kg	560 000	578 000	442 000
Fuel reserve, l	325 000		-
Total takeoff thrust, kN	1244-1360	At least 1244	1188
Maximum speed, km/h	1020		988
Cruise speed, km/h	Before 945		908
Flight range, km	15 200	15 756	14 100
Ceiling, m	13 115		13 000
Crew, people	2
Number of places, people	853	933	581

prospects

In mid-2017, Airbus announced the creation of an improved A380 Plus machine. The main direction of improvements was to reduce the cost of the machine, which in theory should increase the 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 closer layout of the cabin and a reduction in the area of service compartments.

Externally, the A380 Plus does not differ much from its predecessor - the main changes have affected the design of the wing, which should have reduced drag.

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