So the A380 was all over the news in recent years for not suiting commercial air travel any longer as single-deck competitors like the A330neo, A350, 777 and 787 are more cost-effective.
A major factor contributing to the success of the new generation is better fuel economy due to the dual-engine layout of these aircraft. Four engine jets like the 747 and A340 are constantly being retired from service and A380 production has been announced to shut down already by 2021.
But as the COVID-19 outbreak is grounding the majority of the worldwide airline industry, the Superheavy era might come to an end even sooner than expected - unless Airbus has an ace up their sleeve?
Well, they have: The E380 Zero Emission
An Airplane isn’t inefficient if it doesn’t need any fuel!
However, to cut costs Airbus decided to apply only necessary changes to aircraft:
- They left the exterior of the standard A380, including the engines.
- The fuel tanks in the wings and big portions of the tail section have been replaced by powerful next-gen batteries.
- In place of the APU exhaust, a giant socket has been installed to plug in the Hypercharger, necessary to charge the enormous behemoth.
- Unfortunately, due to increased weight caused by the massive batteries, all seats had to be removed.
Fortunately, to save power the testbed aircraft needs a tiny bit of fuel to taxi to the runway. But once on the runway, it doesn’t need a single drop of kerosine! It’s still in an early development stage and is limited in range and ceiling, but it’s enough for a short pattern around Toulouse.
See for yourselves and enjoy the future silence of Zero-emission air travel:
Additionally to the 0 seat configuration, this specific aircraft has been fitted with an optional Ryanshocks main gear, to attract potential low-cost airlines, as shown in the video
Of course, none of the above is even close to reality. Nevertheless happy April fools day, I hope I brightened up your day a little in these difficult times.