NEWTOWN, Conn. - The Engine Alliance continues to produce the GP7200 for its single application on Airbus' A380 superjumbo aircraft. While sales are not matching expectations, the backlog at in December 2013 totaled 182 aircraft, up from 165 aircraft in 2012. The A380 has turned out to be a niche product, with its primary markets in Asia, the Middle East, and Europe. The Indian government's January 2014 decision to lift a ban on A380 flights into New Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore and Hyderabad will expand the number of airports that can handle the A380. As a result Emirates, Singapore Airlines, and Lufthansa have expressed interest in adding A380 flights to India. The A380 must be flown with high load factors to be cost-efficient versus smaller twin-engine aircraft, so the A380 is suitable for use only on highly trafficked routes.
Emirates Airlines, by far the biggest A380 operator has called for a ten percent improvement in fuel burn, and both Rolls-Royce and Engine Alliance are looking at ways to achieve that result. Emirates president Tim Clark has said the A380 needs to get the same benefit of new engine technology going into the new twins (A320neo, A350). While Emirates' first 90 A380s have the GP7200 engine the airline plans to compete the latest addition of 50 aircraft expected to be delivered in 2016. Clark believes a smaller variant of the Trent XWB or GE9X is a possible solution. Naturally, the cost of developing a new engine variant and certification on an airframe is not cheap, and the small A380 fleet makes this a tough business case to make. Dean Athans, president of Engine Alliance has said their study ranges from simpler fixes such as software changes and component modification to an all-new engine.
You have 0 item(s) in your cart