Biggest passenger plane Airbus A380 completes 17 years since its first flight, interesting facts to know

Airbus A380 took its first flight on April 27, 2005, in Toulouse, making it an important day in the history of the plane. A380 is one of the commercial jets in the sky. However, the company has stopped the production of the double-decker A380 since Mid 2021. On the first flight anniversary of the aircraft, we are re-visiting the details of the aircraft, taking a deeper look into what makes it different.

The Airbus A380 has been one of the popular choices among the airlines since its launch in December 2000. The aircraft makers claim that they have delivered 249 A380s to 14 customers by December 2022. The customers of the aircraft include airlines like Asiana, British Airways, China Southern, Emirates, Etihad, Korean Air, Lufthansa, Malaysia Airlines, Qantas, Qatar Airways, Singapore Airlines, Thai Airways and ANA.

Moreover, as per the company claims, the aircraft has performed its duties for seventy+ destinations, covering more than 400 airports. In addition, it also claims more than 7,300,000 flight hours.

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As mentioned above, the Airbus A380 has quite an enormous size with an overall length of 72.7 m and a height of 24.1 m which is bigger than the standard height of a six-storey building. Similarly, complementing the humongous size of the aircraft, it has a wingspan of 79.8 m. The wing area of the plane covers 845 meters square.

Making things more interesting, two passenger decks of the A380 have a total area of 550 meters square, which makes it equal to three tennis courts (singles) or a bit more than one basketball court. The external paint of the aircraft alone weighs 531 kg.

To power the aircraft and take it off the ground, it is powered by a Rolls-Royce Trent 900 or an Engine Alliance GP 7200. To power these engines, it needs loads of fuel which is stored in its tanks with a capacity of holding 3,20,000 litres of fuel. Just enough to power your vehicle for months.

Recently, the Airbus A380 was also subjected to performing the incredible task of making a three-hour flight using HEFA. Hydroprocessed Esters and Fatty Acid that are totally aromatic and sulphur-free are the SAF. The HEFA is primarily made up of used cooking oil.