Giant aircraft to carry more than 800 passengers
An aircraft designed to carry an astonishing 840 passengers in a single cabin has been ordered by an airline based in the Indian Ocean to fly between Paris and La Reuion.
The first of the double-decker A380 aircraft, dubbed the 'Super Jumbo', will be delivered to Air Austral by 2014.
Unlike other A380s already flying, those ordered by Air Austral will consist of just one economy cabin, squeezing the maximum number of passengers into the space available.
This will be the first all-economy version of the world's largest and newest aircraft. All other airlines that fly the A380, including Emirates, Qantas and Singapore Airlines, seat about 550 passengers in three cabins.
Air Austral president Gérard Ethève said: “The A380 will offer the best comfort of any aircraft in a high density configuration.
"With its spacious and extremely quiet cabins, we'll enter a new era in terms of economic air travel."
Certainly the flights will be amongst the most environmentally-friendly as they will emit the lowest emissions per passengers of any aircraft flying today. They will also have the lowest fuel costs, with fuel consumption levels expected to be just two litres per passenger every 100 kilometres.
“The in-service experience has shown just how efficient the A380 really is, and this order from Air Austral demonstrates new ways of benefiting from that efficiency," said Mr Etheve.
Whether passengers benefit from the lower costs in terms of cheaper fares, remains to be seen.
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