Airline to turn A380 superjumbo into sardine can

It is a flying sardine can on a massive scale. The Reunion-based Air Austral has announced its plans to become the world's first airline with an all-economy class Airbus A380, which will seat around 840 passengers.
The airline ordered two of the double-decked jets overnight, claiming they would enable it to offer cheaper tickets between Paris and the French territory in the Indian Ocean.
"Our vision is to provide a low cost-high quality service on the heavy traffic route between La Reunion and Paris and the A380 allows us to make this vision a reality,'' said Air Austral president Gerard Etheve in a statement.
"The A380 has the lowest cost per seat and is the most environment-friendly aircraft flying today while at the same time providing a high level of passenger comfort.''
However, it is unlikely Air Austral, which launches Boeing 777 flights to Sydney on April 14, will ever use the jets on its services to Australia.
Air Austral's order for two single-class A380s has confirmed suspicions the world's largest passenger jet's reputation for luxury could be undermined by airlines eager to lower their fuel costs per passenger on long routes.
By fitting 840 passengers in an A380, Airbus claims the aircraft will be the most fuel efficient - and environmentally friendly - yet.
The Toulouse-based aircraft maker said the Air Austral A380 will consume less than two litres of fuel per 100 kilometres per passenger. Airbus claims the jet is 20% more fuel efficient than the Boeing 747.
The order has also confirmed suspicions the A380s could soon morph into the largest flying cattle truck.
Airbus's chief commercial officer, John Leahy, even spruiked the idea on a previous trip to Sydney of the jets being used on domestic routes in India.
"You could go from Bangalore [India] to Delhi, which is about a 2 3/4 hour trip,'' he told the Herald in 2007. "If you have a single [class] configuration you would have a lower seat-mile cost on that plane than on the train going from Bangalore to Delhi, which takes about 2 1/2 days.''
16/01/09 Scott Rochfort/Sydney Morning Herald, Australia

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Categories: Foreign Jan 2009