The French Carrier First European Airline To Fly The
Super-Jumbo
Air France is the first European
airline to fly the all-new double-deck Airbus A380 on scheduled
services. The aircraft, which was handed over in a delivery
ceremony Friday in Hamburg, Germany, is the twentieth A380
delivered by Airbus.
The aircraft was presented to Pierre-Henri Gourgeon, Chief
Executive Officer of Air France KLM, and to Jean-Cyril Spinetta,
Chairman of the Board of Directors of Air France KLM, by Tom
Enders, Airbus President and CEO, and in the presence of James
Moravecek, Engine Alliance President.
“Each A380 will enable Air France to save 12 to 15 million
euros ($18-$22 million) a year, which, in today’s depressed
economic climate, provides the Company with the means to withstand
the crisis” said Pierre-Henri Gourgeon Chief Executive
Officer of Air France KLM.“Air France will therefore be able
to offer customers even greater comfort, while keeping costs under
control. Furthermore, the performance of the A380 is in line with
our environmental commitments”, he added.
“This delivery marks another
milestone in the longstanding history and partnership between Air
France and Airbus," said Tom Enders, Airbus President and CEO.
“It fills us with great pride that our first ever aircraft
customer is now also the first European airline to operate the
A380. We are convinced the A380 will greatly contribute to
Air France’ continued success”.
The aircraft is powered by four Engine
Alliance GP7200 engines delivering up to 72,000 lbs of thrust
each.
Air France’s first A380 will
start its commercial service with inaugural flights on the 20th and
21st November on the Paris - New York - Paris route. As the largest
Airbus operator in Europe with a fleet of 183 aircraft, the airline
currently operates 34 A330 and A340 aircraft as well as 149 A320
family aircraft. Air France took delivery of the first Airbus
aircraft in 1974 and was also the first carrier in the world to
operate aircraft from the entire Airbus Single-Aisle A320
Family.
The new Air France A380 is the 20th
A380 delivered by Airbus – 10 are already flying with
Singapore, five with Emirates and four with Qantas. These aircraft
are connecting four continents on 13 major international
routes. The A380 fleet has accumulated over 75,000 revenue
flight hours in over 7,900 commercial flights. Over 2,5 million
passengers have already enjoyed flying the A380.
Air France ordered 10 A380s in June
2001 and added another two in 2007.Airbus has won 200 firm A380
orders from 16 customers worldwide, including Air France.