hello and welcome back to the fluctus channel toulouse france is home of europe's largest aircraft manufacturer airbus where employees build the world's largest and most sophisticated passenger airplane the airbus a380 parts for the a380 are manufactured in airbus sites around europe while other pieces are sourced from distributors all over the world [Music] [Music] to be precise over 4 million separate parts are created by 1 500 businesses from 30 countries across the world ranging from rivets and bolts to seats and engines [Music] the construction of the airbus a380 also known as the super jumbo jet is
nothing less of a marvel both in terms of complexity and craftsmanship [Music] each step of the procedure is meticulously planned one of the most significant elements of any aircraft would be its wings when it comes to the wings of the super jumbo jet it is nearly the size of a football field in fact each one could hold 70 family cars it was also built with an innovative design wherein the length of the wing had to be long enough to give adequate lift yet short enough to fit through the world's airports [Music] to come up with
a solution the stunning design of the airbus a380 was inspired by the step eagle the step eagle can control the feathers at the tip of its wings curling them upwards until they are virtually vertical to provide optimum lift thus they became the cornerstone to achieving a high level of efficiency in flying suppliers from around the globe contributed to the a380 including rolls-royce suffern united technologies and general electric [Music] the a380s significant structural parts are produced in france germany spain and the united kingdom and then delivered to the jean-luc lagadare plant assembly hall in toulouse france
through specialized road and sea transportation while others are brought in by airbus's own beluga transport aircraft [Music] so despite its impressive size and technology the demand for the aircraft falls short of its projection airbus stopped production in 2021 with just 251 a380s as there were no more buyers for the aircraft or if there were it would only sell below production cost therefore no longer making it a feasible endeavor [Music] air france was the first to announce the retirement of a380 fleets due to the outdated products in the aircraft that would cost more to refurbish than
it would to stop operations altogether things remain unknown when it comes to the a380s future especially given the reduction in its use even before the covet 19 pandemic [Music] emirates is the world's largest a380 operator having claimed over half of all a380s and still flying them to several international destinations [Music] [Music] however like with all other aircraft purchases the final decision will be based on ownership costs fuel expenses maintenance costs and market fit [Music] on an operational basis two boeing 787 dreamliners are still less expensive than one a380 [Music] the boeing 787 dreamliner is another
remarkable plane the boeing 787 is smaller than the airbus a380 but it offered far more versatility and reduced risk in airline operations [Music] [Music] in addition the 787 featured considerably greater technology than the a380 the dreamliner makes use of more composite materials in the a380 and it is also more fuel efficient per seat mile using around 20 percent less fuel than the airbus [Music] this means that the boeing 787 is designed for long-range direct travel to your destination while it is smaller than the a380 it enables more affordable long-haul travel on long-haul flights budget carriers
like norwegian airlines use the boeing 787 to provide cheap rates [Music] furthermore because of its high fuel efficiency a full boeing 787 does not need to be packed in order for airlines to profit however one must remember that this is just another great chapter to the rivalry between airbus and boeing and there are many more that could be in store [Music] boeing the world's oldest aircraft manufacturer had a 54-year stronghold in the travel industry until 1970 when its main competitor airbus was founded the a300 fleet was launched as the world's first medium-sized twin-engine aircraft perfect
for short to medium haul passenger operations its production eventually ended in 2007 but airbus continues to develop more innovative designs in its fleet in fact each manufacturer would fight back releasing better more improved aircraft that would outdo the other [Music] aside from commercial aircraft airbus puts up a competition with other types of aircraft such as the a330 phoenix airbus a modified a330 into an aerial refueling tanker aircraft its design comprises structural changes aerodynamic enhancements that reduce fuel consumption by up to one percent new avionics systems and upgraded military systems a decade since its introduction 46
units of tanker aircraft have been delivered to seven countries and nato [Music] around the same time the phoenix was introduced the u.s air force announced its selection for boeing to develop the new tanker aircraft to replace the aging kc-135 stratotanker under the designation kc-46 the newly introduced pegasus was first delivered to the u.s air force in 2019 however due to structural issues and chronic leaks in the fuel system the pegasus may not be combat ready until at least 2023 [Music] the competition between the two aviation giants is a known fact however it is this competition
that drives innovation and technology forward reducing the cost of production and increasing flight [Music] efficiency boeing may have the advantage of being amongst the pioneer in aviation but it is airbus's perseverance that is one to look out for that's the end of this video i hope you enjoyed it make sure to subscribe to this channel so you don't miss any of our new content see you next time you
