0 commentsHello from the ground in Geneva, Switzerland! The best show news from EBACE 2005 is that Lufthansa Technik is ready to outfit the new Airbus A380 in VVIP configuration.
The 555 seat, double deck Airbus A380 is the most ambitious civil aircraft program yet. When it enters service in March 2006, the A380 will be the world's largest airliner, easily eclipsing Boeing's 747. source
The first two or three A380's have already been sold to places like Dubai and Qatar; are there really rumors of a private retrofit? Increasing oil prices do not reflect increasing Middle Eastern oil costs, but who am I to imagine!
The official announcement doesn't say much about possible interior options, suffice to say that the demo here (a few meters away from me as I type this) contains a personal gym, plenty of showers, huge bedrooms... and that's just the top floor! No swimming pool or wood burning fire place yet.
"Have you heard about the new A380 interior job? Just eight seats!" This is a funny joke because the A380 interior in a commercial aircraft installation will have over 500 seats- even up to 700! As one trade magazine quoted, a private Airbus A380 would be "the very last word in rich men's toys."