Airbus grows A380

In what is seen in some quarters as a desperate measure to create sales (none were sold in 2014) Airbus says that it has increased the standard number of seats in its A380 brochure to 544.

This is achieved by using 11 seats in each Economy row instead of the current 10.  Airbus says that this can be achieved while maintaining 18-inch-wide seats by better using the aircraft's space, but it remains unclear how passengers will respond. 

“Perhaps some of the Toulouse senior management should take the middle seat out on a 12-hour sector,” said a respected aviation expert. “I for one will not be trying it out!”

The move comes as Airbus steps up efforts to boost sales of the plane.

Mark Lapidus, CEO of Amedeo, a leasing company that ordered 20 aircraft and has a marketing partnership with Airbus, has said that efficient formats of up to around 600 seats held a key to finding new customers.  Amedeo has yet to find a single customer for the aircraft it has on order.  www.airbus.com   www.amedeo.aero

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