Ups airbus

On January 10 2005, United Parcel Service (UPS) announced to the public that they are placing an order to acquire the freighter version of Airbus A380. In a seemingly closed competition against other top companies in the field of delivery, this move appears necessary.

The Airbus A380

The Airbus A380 is a two-deck aircraft manufactured by the European company Airbus, a subsidiary of EADS. It is known to have a wide body and is powered by four engines. Recognized as the world's biggest passenger airliner, the A380 took its first flight on April 27, 2005 in Toulouse, France. Later, it cleared its first commercial take off from Singapore to Sydney under management of Singapore Airlines on October 25, 2007. The airplane was called "the Airbus A3XX" when it was still under developmental stages, but was later associated with the name "Superjumbo" complementing its size.

The A380's top deck encompasses almost the whole length span of its fuselage, and the width is the same as a wide-body aircraft. This makes up a cabin with 50% added floor space when compared to the second largest airliner which is Boeing 747-400. As such, it can provide seating for 525 passengers in a regular three-class set up or, for all economy class configurations, up to 853 passengers. The A380 is being marketed in passenger and freighter versions. The passenger mode of A380-800 is considered the biggest passenger airplane in the world, though it has a fuselage length shorter than that of the A340-600, Airbus's next-largest passenger aircraft. The freighter model, which is A380-800F, is one of the biggest freight aircraft, having a noted payload capacity which is only surpassed by the An-225. The Airbus A380-800 has a projected range of about 15,200 km or 8,200nmi, thus is able to travel, for instance, from Boston to Hong Kong, and can speed up to Mach .85 which is approximately 900 km/h or 560 mph. It is also the first of commercial jets with the capability of utilizing GTL-based petroleum.

The Cancellation

United Parcel Service signed a revised contract with Airbus changing the delivery dates for the freighter version of Airbus A380 the package-delivery company previously ordered. The new agreement also provides options for both companies to cancel its order later this year should either of the two decide not to go through with the transaction.

In effect, losing UPS would mean major trouble for Airbus since the Atlanta-based package-delivery company is the last remaining customer with an existing order for the A380 in an attempt to have their own UPS Airbuses.

UPS, the largest package delivery company in the world, has been trying to reconsider whether or not to pursue their order for 10 Superjumbo freighters since October. This is because Airbus announced the setback on the delivery of the giant planes for a third time due to wiring issues, thereby putting it two years behind schedule.

Originally, UPS's aircrafts were supposed to be delivered between 2009 and 2012. On the other hand, the company did not clear when the new delivery dates on the revised agreement is supposed to be.

Linus Orakles
http://www.authorclub.info/