how does airbusA380 promise lower fuel consumption even with higher weight?what system is used???

Answer 1

hi there,

The company says the plane's fuel consumption will be 2.9 liters (0.76 gallon) per passenger per 100 kilometers (60 miles).
Although the A380 will be able to fly a distance of over 10,000 miles, the plane's usefulness will not be limited to long-haul flights. For instance, many flights within Japan are among the highest in passenger capacity and would be well suited for A380 service, despite their short distances. Whatever the flight distance, a new breed of engines will be required to lift the plane's 1.2 million pounds into the air. Rolls Royce and GE/Pratt & Whitney are both working on engines to provide thrust that will max out at 75,000 pounds. By comparison, the first American jet airliner in service, the Boeing 707, was powered by only 10,000 pounds of thrust.

As amazing as it will be for this behemoth to take off into the air, the A380 faces significant challenges on the ground as well. To integrate into existing airports, the A380 must fit the standard airport-docking plan. The plane's nearly 262-foot wingspan meets this requirement by about 18 inches. Its outer-most engines, however, would hang just beyond the standard 150-foot runway width, requiring upgrades at many airports. The plane's weight will be distributed to 20 landing gear wheels, actually producing less weight per wheel than the 747. The cockpit location, between the main and upper decks, is designed to give pilots a vantage point on the runway similar to that of current airliners.

Due to recent technological advances, Airbus claims the A380 will be a more efficient plane than its rival, the 747. Airbus states the A380 will use 20% less fuel and will fly quieter, cheaper and more environmentally friendly than the 747.

Answer 2

It doesnt actually use less fuel, just less per person.

The way fuel consumption is shown for a jet is Specific Fuel Consumption(SFC), which is how many pounds of fuel are used for every pound of thrust, per hour.
A 4th generation fighter aircraft has a SPC of about 1.2-2.0, a fifth generation (f-22, f-35) has about 0.5 SFC.
In airline turbofans, a very small difference in SPC can make a big difference. A SPC of 0.4 is considered very good, seeing that its 3 times more fuel efficient than a good fighter like the f-16.
On the newest airlines, the engines have between a 0.32 down to a 0.28 SPC, which can save 1000 gallons an hour, so about 4000 gallons on a flight from NYC to Miami.
Just in a day the airline can save enough money to pay a years wages for a mid level employee, or a new pilot.

Holy crap, bostonianinmo beat me to it again.

Answer 3

Above answers about seat miles per pound of fuel are correct and so is the Airbus claim that the A380 will offer better fuel burns, however, before you can have the savings, you need to fill the seats.

If an airline is not able to get high load factors, then the A380 will be much more expensive to operate than a smaller one with all seats filled.

Answer 4

Because of Altair's virtual engineering gives Airbus super jumbo more lift 500kg saved on wing design in rapid time, and better New Generation ENGINES!

A380 is fitted with the best GEnx engines...


...read more at the sites below. All aircrafts are aerodynamic...its the engine that makes the difference....like for the same capacity cars a Ferrari will always remain a fuel guzzler...at the cost of pick-up. So the new generation engines are having larger fan blades which give more thrust for the same consumption...

Answer 5

It's a function of the specific fuel consumption per seat mile, not the total fuel consumption per flight mile. The actual amount of fuel consumed will be very high, but when divided by the number of passenger seats it will be one of the lowest in the industry.

The operating cost per seat mile is the holy grail of cost accounting in the airline industry and the A380 promises one of the lowest ever. So, the "system" if you want to call it that is one heck of a lot of seats!

Answer 6

The short answer is that the fuel consumption is measured in seat/miles per unit of fuel, so although it uses more fuel than other aircraft because of the increased size and weight, assuming an efficient load, it is more economical in the above terms.

Answer 7

Some of the previous answers given here have been incorrect. For example, the wingspan of an A380 does not fit into the sizes of most airports either in terms of apron and taxiway width or in terms of gate size. To suggest that you can park an A380 in a 747 sized gate is incorrect; A380's require larger gates and most apron and taxiways will have to be widened to permit aircraft to safely pass. This is the biggest factor preventing widespread adoption of A380.

The main reason that A380 is supposed to be cheaper to operate is its lower proportionate weight. The A380 uses 25% composites in the airframe to because this is lighter than aluminum for the same strength. This includes things like carbon fiber in the main wing spars as well as extensive use of composites in the control surfaces, wings, doors and tail. The A380 also uses more welding and fewer rivets. Additional weight savings come from only using reverse thrusters on the two inboard engines and using electro-hydraulic backups instead of a second hydraulic system. It is these weight savings that make the airframe more efficient. The engines are also newer and are quieter, more efficient, and less polluting than the engines on a 747-400.

Typically, A380 is compared to the 747-400 because it is the largest sized competitor. However, 747 is based on a 35 year old design and it does show its age against a brand new design like A380. When comparing A380 against the much newer 777 many of the advantages decrease. The 777 has similar advantages in engines because the A380 in fact uses engines derived from the 777 engines. However, the 777 has a longer range than A380. The 777 actually has the longest range of any airliner.

The correct airplane to compare A380 against is the new 747-8 which will first fly in 2008. Because of Airbus' announced production delays there really won't be that many A380's flying before 747-8 is delivered. Further, in spite of the A380's use of composites, the 747-8 Intercontinental with an 18 foot fuselage stretch is more than 12 percent lighter per seat than the A380, and consumes 11 percent less fuel per passenger. This translates into a trip-cost reduction of 22 percent and a seat-mile cost reduction of more than 4 percent compared to the A380.

The cargo version of the 747-8 carries 154 tons compared to 158 tons for A380. The A380 has more cargo volume but because it has hardly any additional cargo weight allowance this isn't as useful. Yet, the 747-8 Freighter's empty weight is 95 tons lighter than the A380 freighter. This results in a 25 percent lower fuel burn per ton, which translates into 20 percent lower trip costs and 23 percent lower ton-mile costs than the A380F.

Even though the A380 has more tires it does not have lower weight per tire as some have claimed. A380 weighs as much as 1.3 Million lbs compared to 0.96 Million lbs for 747-8. However, A380 only has 22 tires compared to 18 for 747-8. So, this can give A380 10% higher weight per tire rather than less. Although, A380 does have more interior room than 747-8, the conversion of the 747 crown deck into a skyloft has given the new design additional competitive spaces. Finally, with some minor modifications to the 747-400 wings, 747-8 has the same 8,000 nautical mile range as A380.

The 747-8 will use the same advanced engines designed for the 787 although it uses four instead of two. These newer engines are also more efficient, quieter, and less polluting. The 747-8 will cost far less to develop and will cost far less to purchase than the A380. In fact, Airbus has not yet sold enough A380's to pay for the $12 Billion design cost. 747-8 can be used at existing airports that have facilities for 747's without having to widen taxiways or install larger gates.

Answer 8

There is not really a certain system used.
There are many factors to make planes more fuel efficient, just look at the 787!
Modern technology is amazing. We have the ability to make more powerful engines using less power!
The A380 isn't to fuel efficient, it's quieter, but haevier, and uses more fuel than the 747-400.

Answer 9

It doesn't promise lower fuel consumption. It promises lower fuel consumption per passenger.

Answer 10

It may also be that since it carries quite a bit more passengers at a time than a 747, for example, you would realize fuel savings by being able to transport "X" number of people in one flight instead of two or more flights with smaller aircraft.