A PERFECT - Orient Aviation

SHOW STOPPERSFor 30 years the Paris Air Show has mirroredthe Airbus success story as one new modelafter another has made its first publicappearance at Le Bourget. This year theoccasion will be bigger than ever, in moreways than one, as the A380 takes its bowSHOWING OFFBy Charles AndersonWhen the A380 goes ondisplay in Paris in mid-June, it will be followingin the flight pathsof an impressive listof Airbus products that made their publicdebuts at Le Bourget as the company grewfrom an unsung European partnership intoan aircraft manufacturing giant.Airbus is not sure yet whether the superjumbo can fly at the world’s biggest aviationshow, which runs from June 13 to 19. Theyhope it will, but the final decision dependson the progress of the flight test programmes.Even if the A380 does not taketo the skies it will be on static display forthe aviation industry, and the proud Frenchpublic, to look at and admire.In some ways it is a far cry from 1973,when the fledgling Airbus GIE, as it wasthen, put on a flying display with its firstand, at that stage, only product, the A300B,four years after a static prototype was firstseen at Le Bourget.Concorde and Boeing’s new 747 jumbohad overshadowed the mock-up of theunknown widebody in 1969. It was stillthe “ugly ducking”, as one Airbus veterandescribed it, four years later when the supersonicsuperstar again stole the show.In other ways, the A380’s debut echoesthose times. “In the 70s, you had more smallercompanies bringing out different planes.Technological jumps would drive development,rather than competition. Everybodywas showing what they had,” said BarbaraKracht, vice-president, media relations, whohas seen the first flight of every major Airbusmodel starting with the A300B in 1972.That meant there was plenty for France’ssupportive and knowledgeable aviationenthusiasts to enjoy. Rival companies, andpotential customers, were also well served.Barbara Kracht, vice-president, media relations poses with the A380 pilots afterthe memorable first flight: she has seen the first flight of every major Airbusmodel starting with the A300B in 1972‘ Airbus had thevision to saywe are goingto be biggerthan our homecountries’Colin Stuartvice-president,marketingAirbus6 ORIENT AVIATION / A380 Quarterly Update JUNE – AUGUST 2005In recent years, with industry consolidationand standardisation, there is less excitementon offer. The last major new aircraft to go onshow was back in 1995 when Boeing’s longdistanceB777 arrived.Now, the enthusiasm is palpable, especiallyin Toulouse. “You drive around outsidethe plant here and you see peoplestanding, waiting and watching, expectingthe A380 to come,” said Kracht, speakingbefore the test flight brought them out intheir thousands. “When the plane was comingout of the hangar last winter, there werepeople driving by, standing and looking atit. They have never done that before.”Multiply this by the numbers expected atLe Bourget and you get an idea of the impactthe A380 is likely to have there.Colin Stuart, Airbus vice-president,marketing, sees this fitting into a patternthat has brought Airbus, and Le Bourget,onto the international stage over the sameperiod. “Le Bourget has always been veryimportant, because France as a nation hasalways supported its aviation industry verywell. But Le Bourget is bigger than Francenow,” he said. “It was national then, but nowit’s international. Airbus also had the visionto say we are going to be bigger than ourhome countries.“We think of this as a very importantshow for customers, the corporate and politicalside, and for suppliers. It’s important aswell to have the public satisfied with whatthey see from the Airbus product side. They