Aviation Weather Over Europe for Today - Continued Economic Turbulence
The Chinese government recently made a statement that; the European Union's airline emissions standards, along with the pollution fees they will charge to airliners could very easily start a trade war. Interestingly enough, China is already engaged in a trade war with the United States and Europe, and they are winning. Perhaps, the European Union wants to sell more Airbus airliners, and China had assumed that if they purchased a large number of Airbus airliners that they would be exempt from these EU carbon emissions standards coming forth.
As it turns out, that is not the case. Of course China isn't the only country that is quite worried about the EU emissions standards. There are other nations who have lots of older airliners which will not meet the requirements, and the fines will be heavy. I doubt if there are any African Airlines which have an all upgraded fleet for instance, Russia too. There was an interesting article in the Los Angeles times on December 22, 2011; "US flights EU on airline carbon Emissions" by Dean Kuipers.
The article explained that airliners contribute to about 3% of the total human produced CO2 globally. The article also made a statement, and I'm not sure we can rely on this number, but; "even with millions of cars and trucks on the road in the US, airlines account for 12% of the transportation emissions nationwide." If that's true, it would be considered significant, especially if the global warming alarmists have their way, and if the European Union is really serious about cutting those emissions of CO2 - oh, and remember gasoline cars put out Carbon Monoxide mostly, not CO2 - slight difference there which would explain that 12%.
China stated at the global warming conference in 2011 in Durban, South Africa that they would be willing to sign an agreement which would be mandatory for them to start making CO2 emission cuts by 2020, with one caveat - the United States and the EU would have to start now. That may sound like a major accomplishment getting China to agree to something like this, but the reality is that China is already putting out more CO2 than we do here in the US, that's right even though they are still considered an emerging nation, they are putting out more CO2 than the United States. Each year that number will only grow.
China recently released their figures on automobile pollution and the air pollution in and around Beijing - the increase is phenomenal. It's so bad in fact that some of the pollution in California, almost 1% of our air pollution out here, actually comes from China - all the way across the Pacific Ocean! We know this because we know there are certain types of particulate which come from coal-fired plants, of which California doesn't have any, and the wind is blowing the other way, therefore, we know it's coming from China. We also know this because of the exact chemical compounds in the soot.
You see, my friends, air pollution doesn't stop for man-made borders drawn in the sand. If the EU's restriction on air pollution from airliners does cause a trade war, and there are storm clouds ahead, then it's hard to say what sorts of repercussions China will reciprocate with. Nevertheless, the EU is pushing forward. Indeed I hope you will please consider all this and think on it.
Showing posts with label Turbulence. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Turbulence. Show all posts
Friday, April 6, 2012
Wednesday, March 28, 2012
Turbulence Continues For Airbus A380 - Largest Passenger Aircraft in Commercial Aviation
Turbulence Continues For Airbus A380 - Largest Passenger Aircraft in Commercial Aviation
It has been rough flying for the Airbus A380, the big double-decker "superjumbo" aircraft that was once hailed as the future of commercial aviation and was destined to take over the skies. Only a few years ago experts were praising it:
"Airbus had the prescience to correctly anticipate an environment of high fuel prices, public clamor for quieter airports, fewer emissions, and less crowded skies. This is the kind of superior product vision that has served our industry so well," former Engine Alliance President Bruce Hughes said.
One Airbus customer said: "The A380 is the future of flying."
The problems began long before the inaugural flight in October 2007, but they have persisted since the maiden journey. With just 10 deliveries in 2009 and 23 in total since 2007, enthusiasm for this big aircraft has waned.
By all means, the A380 is a magnificent aircraft. It combines the very latest aeronautical technologies and with nearly 50 percent more floor space. It offers unparalleled comfort in every class and more open space for more than 550 passengers to stretch their legs.
The aircraft has significantly reduced noise and emissions levels so it minimizes the effects on the environment. Its new generation engines and advanced wing and undercarriage design mean the A380 not only complies with today's noise limits but is significantly quieter than its competitor, producing half as much noise on take-off.
The A380's weight-saving composite materials help make it a highly fuel-efficient aircraft. It burns 12 percent less fuel than its competitor and it also has reduced exhaust emissions. In every category the A380 seems like a winner.
So what went wrong? It is hard to put your finger on one reason - this is a massive project that took many years, cost billions of dollars and was the combined effort of thousands of people from several European countries. But we have highlighted a few major issues:
Design Changes
The cost increases due to ongoing design changes hit suppliers with production problems and this has taken a toll. The price of the airplane has doubled since its inception, while the market has contracted by a greater proportion.
As costs of the A380 continue, the overall development price tag has risen to over $15 billion US. Meanwhile, the market for the VLA (Very Large Aircraft) continues to erode, and a current EADS (European Aeronautic Defense and Space Company) review about what went wrong is not going to help the A380'S fortunes.
Reliability
Qantas and Emirates have concerns about the A380's reliability.
"We had a number of unrelated issues that have brought down dispatch reliability," said Emirates Airline president Tim Clark.
Qantas had high-profile problems when technical issues grounded all three of its A380's briefly. The airline said two A380's were declared "unserviceable with a fuel tank indication system problem", while the third "experienced a nose-wheel ground steering issue and an unrelated fuel leak issue".
The A380's newest customer, Air France, also experienced a string of embarrassing problems with the A380.
Economy
The recession has not been kind to commercial aviation as many airlines continue to lose money. The struggling industry faces another $5.6 billion of losses next year, on top of the $11 billion in 2009. Many airliners have cancelled orders for the A380 including Lufthansa, Virgin Airlines, Thai Airways, Fed Ex and others. Certainly the recession has been a chief factor for the aircraft's uncertain future.
The question remains - is the world ready for a VLA - or will it ever be ready for this enormous plane? Time will tell. But the money spent to find out the answer was probably not worth it. It may well go down in the history books like the Concorde SST.
Whatever happens to the A380, Boeing certainly looks like the winner in this race when it decided to drop their own VLA plans 5 years ago and opt for an expanded version of their successful 747 (the 747-8) instead.
It has been rough flying for the Airbus A380, the big double-decker "superjumbo" aircraft that was once hailed as the future of commercial aviation and was destined to take over the skies. Only a few years ago experts were praising it:
"Airbus had the prescience to correctly anticipate an environment of high fuel prices, public clamor for quieter airports, fewer emissions, and less crowded skies. This is the kind of superior product vision that has served our industry so well," former Engine Alliance President Bruce Hughes said.
One Airbus customer said: "The A380 is the future of flying."
The problems began long before the inaugural flight in October 2007, but they have persisted since the maiden journey. With just 10 deliveries in 2009 and 23 in total since 2007, enthusiasm for this big aircraft has waned.
By all means, the A380 is a magnificent aircraft. It combines the very latest aeronautical technologies and with nearly 50 percent more floor space. It offers unparalleled comfort in every class and more open space for more than 550 passengers to stretch their legs.
The aircraft has significantly reduced noise and emissions levels so it minimizes the effects on the environment. Its new generation engines and advanced wing and undercarriage design mean the A380 not only complies with today's noise limits but is significantly quieter than its competitor, producing half as much noise on take-off.
The A380's weight-saving composite materials help make it a highly fuel-efficient aircraft. It burns 12 percent less fuel than its competitor and it also has reduced exhaust emissions. In every category the A380 seems like a winner.
So what went wrong? It is hard to put your finger on one reason - this is a massive project that took many years, cost billions of dollars and was the combined effort of thousands of people from several European countries. But we have highlighted a few major issues:
Design Changes
The cost increases due to ongoing design changes hit suppliers with production problems and this has taken a toll. The price of the airplane has doubled since its inception, while the market has contracted by a greater proportion.
As costs of the A380 continue, the overall development price tag has risen to over $15 billion US. Meanwhile, the market for the VLA (Very Large Aircraft) continues to erode, and a current EADS (European Aeronautic Defense and Space Company) review about what went wrong is not going to help the A380'S fortunes.
Reliability
Qantas and Emirates have concerns about the A380's reliability.
"We had a number of unrelated issues that have brought down dispatch reliability," said Emirates Airline president Tim Clark.
Qantas had high-profile problems when technical issues grounded all three of its A380's briefly. The airline said two A380's were declared "unserviceable with a fuel tank indication system problem", while the third "experienced a nose-wheel ground steering issue and an unrelated fuel leak issue".
The A380's newest customer, Air France, also experienced a string of embarrassing problems with the A380.
Economy
The recession has not been kind to commercial aviation as many airlines continue to lose money. The struggling industry faces another $5.6 billion of losses next year, on top of the $11 billion in 2009. Many airliners have cancelled orders for the A380 including Lufthansa, Virgin Airlines, Thai Airways, Fed Ex and others. Certainly the recession has been a chief factor for the aircraft's uncertain future.
The question remains - is the world ready for a VLA - or will it ever be ready for this enormous plane? Time will tell. But the money spent to find out the answer was probably not worth it. It may well go down in the history books like the Concorde SST.
Whatever happens to the A380, Boeing certainly looks like the winner in this race when it decided to drop their own VLA plans 5 years ago and opt for an expanded version of their successful 747 (the 747-8) instead.
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