A380 Demand Dwindles

[allardjd 1,853]

A380 Demand Dwindles

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-07-11/airbus-scraps-target-of-30-a380-sales-as-demand-dwindles.html

Good article. Not covered by the headline, but explained in the article, Boeing is experiencing a similar downturn in 747-8 orders. It seems that the world is not all that interested in 4-engine transport aircraft at this point in time.

This downturn for the Busboys surely sets back their projected financial breakeven point for the A380 even further than the wildly optimistic 2015 forecast by their CFO last year. Realistically, breakeven is probably out beyond 2016 now, or when hell freezes over, whichever comes later. The second round of wing cracks, which, unlike the first type discovered, DO have safety/structural significance and must be repaired, has hurt them badly.

The A320 series is keeping them afloat and profitable - A380 and A400M continue to be awash in red ink and it's far from assured that either program will reach break-even. Regardless of whether you like the two aircraft or not, the Busboys would be in far better shape if they'd never embarked on either project.

John

[M31 0]

A380 Demand Dwindles

http://www.bloomberg...d-dwindles.html

Thanks for letting us know about this John ... I was near sick with worry about it after you wrote this

If its Boeing, i'm not going

My pint glass is mostly half full though, check this out if you please.

What do you make of our Bruce Dickinson from Iron Maiden the Rock band?

Looks like he is playing Air Hauler for real as a millionaire.

I have tons of respect for this guy, met him just before an Iron Maiden gig in Aberdeen, he was having a pint with the lads (about late mid 80's) and said ... I'd better get on stage before I get drunk and he just wandered out to Union street and back to the show and did his thing.

Bruce is awesome

[allardjd 1,853]

_{I don't currently have the bandwidth to view your videos in anything like a reasonable time frame – I'm away from home and not enjoying stellar performance.}

_{AIRBUS vs. BOEING: I'm not an Airbus fan but they mostly make decent airplanes. Their design philosopy is quite different from that of Boeing, particularly with respect to the level of automation in general and to the span of control left to pilots as opposed to the computer under FBW. The two philosophies, though quite different, are both viable. Despite some early issues, mostly resolved, and some more recent events, Airbus' aircraft are arguably safe and the Busboys have had no real difficulty meeting the certification requirements anywhere that matters.}

_{I like to joke that if it's not Boeing, I'm not going, but that's tongue in cheek. I firmly believe that if you are concerned with your personal safety in air travel, it has more to do with what airline you fly with than what brand of aircraft you travel in. Neither Boeings nor Airbuses are falling out of the sky with any great regularity and if they were it's likely that the civil aviation authorities would be on them like stink on a skunk.}

_{I've flown in both Airbus and Boeing aircraft and frankly, from the passenger cabin, unless you read the seatback card carefully, it's pretty hard to tell the difference. In the seats that regular people can afford, they both seem to be roughly equally cramped and uncomfortable.}

_{I do think that the Busboys screwed the pooch big-time on both the A380 and the A400M. Both are technically beautiful aircraft and perhaps even aeronautical marvels, but Airbus so misjudged the market that it's quite possible that neither will ever turn a dime of profit. The wing cracking issues in the A380 are simply adding to the misery and making it less likely the whale will be a commercial success. To date both programs have been financial black holes for the company. In case the thought is lost in the shuffle, commercial companies are supposed to make a profit on their projects.}

_{Airbus makes plenty of money on their smaller aircraft, more than enough to be overall profitable, but those two, as commercial undertakings, appear to be pretty ill advised and/or poorly executed. I tend to seize on articles that relate to either of them because I'm quite interested in both aircraft, both technically and as commercial projects.}

_{IRON MAIDEN - As for Iron Maiden and all that, I am pretty apathetic about music (and sports) in general and don't much have an opinion. I doubt very much if I'd recognize anything Iron Maiden related at all – artists, music, titles, logos or whatever. It's just not something that's important to me.}

_{The Dickinson videos related to aviation look interesting and I'll watch them when I return home. If he's an aviation entrepeneur of any sort, I wish him well. As a musician, all that is pretty much beneath my notice.}

_John

[M31 0]

Wow.

The Busboys

[

EDIT : OK John, I've settled now (yeah I cant sleep) perhaps you should review my video posts in the context the post was constructed in before getting so confrontational again.

I mean honestly, we all know you are a proud American, but publicly dissing Airbus on here is tantamount to trolling, yeah for sure you are probably correct in everything you say, but why rub our faces in it?

What sort of response did you expect? National Pride is as big here as it must be in the USA.

Its not the first time you have done this is it? part of the construction of Mutleys Hanger html is showing similar posts and your last one on this theme was an unprovoked Airbus rant too.

Please take my intended humour comment ... "If its Boeing I'm not going" as a friendly jibe, over the years I've seen so many American "if its NOT Boeing I'm not going" comments that I'd thought I'd turn the phrase around a little in my favour

I know you like drama, but I honestly don't do serious the way you do, you must admit this latest Airbus report is a bit of a disaster for winning friends and opinions world wide on here.

Cheers.

[allardjd 1,853]

Airbus rant? I thought these statements went some ways toward making it a reasonably balanced post.

...but they mostly make decent airplanes.

The two philosophies, though quite different, are both viable.

...mostly resolved...

Airbus' aircraft are arguably safe...

...have had no real difficulty meeting the certification requirements anywhere that matters.

...it's pretty hard to tell the difference.

...they both seem to be roughly equally cramped and uncomfortable.

Airbus makes plenty of money on their smaller aircraft, more than enough to be overall profitable...

Both are technically beautiful aircraft and perhaps even aeronautical marvels...

Neither Boeings nor Airbuses are falling out of the sky with any great regularity...

I like to joke that if it's not Boeing, I'm not going, but that's tongue in cheek.

...it has more to do with what airline you fly with than what brand of aircraft you travel in.

And from the original post...

Boeing is experiencing a similar downturn in 747-8 orders. It seems that the world is not all that interested in 4-engine transport aircraft at this point in time.

I'm very sorry to hear you can't sleep. Winston Churchill (one of my heroes) once said, "Sleep is the best medicine" and I believe he was right. If you're deprived of it all else is worse than it would otherwise be. I hope you get some relief.

John

[ddavid 149]

You guys! Need a referee?!?

C'mon, Colin - John is keenly interested in this topic and wants to know what others feel. That he appears provocative is unfortunate - but that's his natural manner - respond, for sure, but in the spirit of goodwill, eh?

John - some of us Brits (yeah, I know, I'm Welsh, but I am a loyal citizen!) still have pride in our manufacturing base, or what's left of it after years of inept governance. So, it's no surprise that we snap at your heels over demeaning comments about RR engines, BAE wings, etc.

Both - you are not in the ring - this is, and I quote, "The Friendliest Forum on the Web". Let's keep it that way - for sure we have differences of opinion, so let's keep it clean, no head-butting or below the belt punches...

Seconds Out - Round Three...

Cheers - Dai.