Comments on: Taxi! For Nöel Forgeard http://fistfulofeuros.net/afoe/europe-and-the-world/taxi-for-noel-forgeard/ European Opinion Wed, 07 Jan 2009 23:54:41 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6.3 By: Doug http://fistfulofeuros.net/afoe/europe-and-the-world/taxi-for-noel-forgeard/#comment-15128 Doug Wed, 12 Jul 2006 03:57:46 +0000 http://fistfulofeuros.net/wordpress/?p=2617#comment-15128 Underestimating Merkel is a definite career-shortener. Underestimating Merkel is a definite career-shortener.

]]> By: Colin http://fistfulofeuros.net/afoe/europe-and-the-world/taxi-for-noel-forgeard/#comment-15127 Colin Mon, 03 Jul 2006 22:18:28 +0000 http://fistfulofeuros.net/wordpress/?p=2617#comment-15127 But that wasn’t the real problem. It flies, after all, and has passed its safety certification (something which escapes those journalists who have been claiming Boeing’s Dreamliner project has overtaken it - I don't think the issue has ever been safety certification for the A380--of course the damn thing flies--it's the economic viability of the plane.For a blog with a supposedly economics/financial orientation, I am surprised that you and other editors keep framing this in Euro-nationalist terms. Check out the aviation forums and pilots' blogs--there is a great deal of speculation that the "electrical problems" being blamed for the newest 6 month delay are tacitly welcomed by EADS as a smokescreen to buy time to deal with the two real problems: a) the A380 is seriously overweight--which doesn't impact its airworthiness, but cuts right into seating capacity. Airbus has sold this bird to buyers as carrying no less than 555 pax in 3 classes--if that slips to 500 (or possibly even less), _it_ _can't_ _make_ _money_. Even the freighter version would be seriously impacted from a cost-effectiveness p.o.v. if the overweight isn't addressed. b) Every engineer that Airbus has to divert to working out the bugs on the A380 is one engineer less that can work on the re-boot of the A350 (due this month at Farnsborough). That will delay its service debut, possibly until as late as 2012, maybe later. In that time an entire frenzied purchase cycle (especially by Indian & Chinese carriers) will have been missed, and the 787 will have a feast to itself. But that wasn’t the real problem. It flies, after all, and has passed its safety certification (something which escapes those journalists who have been claiming Boeing’s Dreamliner project has overtaken it -
I don’t think the issue has ever been safety certification for the A380–of course the damn thing flies–it’s the economic viability of the plane.For a blog with a supposedly economics/financial orientation, I am surprised that you and other editors keep framing this in Euro-nationalist terms. Check out the aviation forums and pilots’ blogs–there is a great deal of speculation that the “electrical problems” being blamed for the newest 6 month delay are tacitly welcomed by EADS as a smokescreen to buy time to deal with the two real problems:

a) the A380 is seriously overweight–which doesn’t impact its airworthiness, but cuts right into seating capacity. Airbus has sold this bird to buyers as carrying no less than 555 pax in 3 classes–if that slips to 500 (or possibly even less), _it_ _can’t_ _make_ _money_. Even the freighter version would be seriously impacted from a cost-effectiveness p.o.v. if the overweight isn’t addressed.

b) Every engineer that Airbus has to divert to working out the bugs on the A380 is one engineer less that can work on the re-boot of the A350 (due this month at Farnsborough). That will delay its service debut, possibly until as late as 2012, maybe later. In that time an entire frenzied purchase cycle (especially by Indian & Chinese carriers) will have been missed, and the 787 will have a feast to itself.

]]> By: Tobias http://fistfulofeuros.net/afoe/europe-and-the-world/taxi-for-noel-forgeard/#comment-15126 Tobias Mon, 03 Jul 2006 21:07:13 +0000 http://fistfulofeuros.net/wordpress/?p=2617#comment-15126 Abolish ENA and France will be become an even better country. Abolish ENA and France will be become an even better country.

]]>