Although Airbus has closed the A340 production line, it is likely to continue serving several routes of importance to Australian travellers for some years to come, explains Ben Sandilands.
Airbus
An all new Airbus single aisle design is still out there
Airbus gave more clues at a briefing in Sydney yesterday as to what it will do when it eventually launches an all new design to replace its single aisle A320 program. Ben Sandilands reveals all.
American Airlines embarks on largest jet buy in history
American Airlines has split what it says is the largest jet purchase in history between Airbus and Boeing with firm orders for 260 A320 family airliners, and 200 Boeing 737s, says Ben Sandilands.
The Airbus A320 Fat Lady sings
It has been an incredibly long game of poker between Airbus and Boeing over the question of whether to re-engine their cash cow single aisle jets, the A320 and 737NG families respectively, or go directly to an all-new design in the 2020s, writes Ben Sandilands.
Rolls-Royce under fire over A380 engines
Airbus is seeking compensation from Rolls-Royce for the additional costs it is incurring because of the serious issues that have emerged with the Trent 900 engine used by Qantas, Singapore Airlines and Lufthansa on their A380 fleets, reports Ben Sandilands.
How far has myth making outflown the realities of plastic jets?
The age of lightweight breakthrough composite airlines is still a long way away. That’s the problem of letting myth making run ahead of an investment in new designs and their supporting engineering and technology, writes Ben Sandilands.
A380 vs. the volcano: who are the crazy pilots who fly into the ash?
Both Airbus and Boeing have a hardcore cadre of test pilots who are paid very, very well to deliberately do insanely dangerous things to passenger aircraft — like, say, fly through volcanic ash…
The 700-seat Jetstar Airbus A380 is coming
Never mind the fate of first class seating on Qantas, says Ben Sandilands: a 650-700-seat Jetstar A380 is coming — the writing is on the terminal walls.
Did a cosmic ray zap the Airbus?
The Australian Transport Safety Bureau is now considering the remote possibility that a rogue cosmic ray or solar particle caused a Qantas plane to twice dive out of control over Western Australia in October last year, says Ben Sandilands.
Your Say: Daily Mail readers' feedback: The fast train to nowhere
Crikey readers on why Airbus hasn’t killed the fast train, the government’s Telstra swashbuckling, border protection (or lackthereof) and Rosemary Stanton gets into a food fight.
Sydney/Melbourne by plane or bust: Airbus vision kills the fast train
The notion of a Very Fast Train for the Melbourne-Sydney corridor has been shot down by new plans from Airbus to fly Very Large Planes between the two cities, because the entire cost, and risk, is funded by the privately owned airlines and airports.
US lawyer sues Airbus (and everyone else) over Air France disaster
A US lawyer is suing everyone who made anything that was part of the Air France Airbus flight that crashed into the mid Atlantic in June, reports Ben Sandilands.
Pilots challenge Air France with their AF 447 crash ‘truth’
Two Air France pilots have challenged Airbus and the French air crash investigators to face up to critical factors in the June 1 crash of flight AF447 in the mid-Atlantic, which killed all 228 people on board.
The shape of jets to come
Airbus has released some tantalising glimpses of future airplane designs — but is it all just another pie-in-the-sky fantasy from the aircraft manufacturers? asks Ben Sandilands
The 787 calamity: lies and evasions continue
The lie that Boeing used to makes fools of customers like Qantas was that the technology to build a high composite ‘plastic fantastic’ Dreamliner jet posed no difficulties. So is the Airbus any better? asks Ben Sandilands.
World leaders must act on airline safety
After a year of airline disasters, it’s time for a higher standard of airline safety to be enacted and enforced around the globe.
Airbus scrutiny required (not for the reasons you think)
The Yemenia Air crash and the Air France disaster have nothing in common (despite their Airbus link), but there are good reasons for continued scrutiny of the modern A330 design involved in the AF447 disaster.
Airbusophobia alive and well after Yemeni air disaster
The crash of a Yemenia Airbus A310 had all the classic early jet age prerequisites for an air disaster, writes Ben Sandilands. Any links to the Air France Airbus mid-Atlantic crash are dubious.
Airbus v Boeing face-off thanks to AirAsia X and Jetstar
AirAsia X has Airbus A350-900s on order; Jetstar is supposed to get the first of Qantas’ Boeing 787-8s. So two fuel-slashing “plastic fantastic” aircraft will compete in one market. Interesting.
40 years ago today: remembering the Airbus’s modest debut
When the Airbus A300 debuted in 1969, 40 years ago today, people were more interested in flying to the moon. Ben Sandilands was there when it first took flight in 1973.
Poisoning cyberspace with Arab hate mail
A fresh coat of hatred has been poured over a hoary old internet fakement about ignorant Arab pilots and a brand new Airbus they destroyed on the ground in France, writes Ben Sandilands.
