Airbus A380 rewrites the mass market rules. Airbus now marketing seriously low cost aircraft.

It had to happen. As announced last week, an Airbus A380 is going to carry 840 seats. The Reunion carrier, Air Austral, will not take delivery of the aircraft until 2014, but the significance of the announcement is twofold - first that it is to become a precedent for a mass transit aircraft, unlike the marginal increases in seating density by the main network airline orders; and secondly, that Airbus appears ready now to market this opportunity in their sales pitch. [1781 words]

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This report contains the following subheadings:

• Airbus now marketing a bulk carrier
• Halving the cost of flying - and more
• Where to fly the behemoth?
• Seasonal, charter style operations fit the model
• Slot constrained airports
• The "nuclear threat"
• What next? Who will be the first to fly an 800+ seater?

This report contains the following charts and tables:

• A380 customers' seat configuration (published plans)
• Top 30 worldwide city pairs: Week commencing 12-Jan-09