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| The enormous aircraft is likely to change the
long-haul business, analysts say.(AP)
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Tuesday at Airbus as the Toulouse-based planemaker unveils its mighty A380
double-decker, the biggest airliner ever built.
French President Jacques Chirac and British Prime Minister Tony Blair
are among more than 5,000 guests invited for a first glimpse of the A380,
which some airlines are betting will reshape the industry.
Customers have committed almost $40 billion to buying the 555-seat
plane, expecting it to lower operating costs and fatten profits, battered in a
slowdown since 2001.
"It's the first seriously radically new plane for a generation," said
Paul Moore, spokesman for British airline Virgin Atlantic, which has six
A380s on order.
Airbus is throwing a party despite a less festive mood behind the
scenes.
Chief Executive Noel Forgeard is leaving after waging a feisty public
bid to become co-CEO of parent firm EADS, leaving questions about who will
lead Airbus and sparking ill will within EADS.
"I didn't think that human nature was capable of such baseness,"
Philippe Camus, the man Forgeard will replace at EADS later this year,
told reporters last week.
The A380 is also causing headaches as it runs 1.45 billion euros ($1.9
billion) over budget and battles a weight problem that threatens to undo
its promised cost-saving performance.
While not an uncommon problem for new planes, the stakes are higher
with the A380, which at a list price of $260 million is an expensive
gamble.
Airbus' suppliers are also feeling the pinch, with British engineering
firm Cobham among those running over budget on work to develop A380
equipment.
The plane will dwarf rival Boeing Co.'s 416-seat 747-400, for four
decades the reigning heavyweight. It will accommodate more than 800 if
airlines use all-economy seating.
(Agencies) | 
Updated: 2005-01-18 10:48