Air France, the first European carrier to offer flights on the A380

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1

Air France Press Office - June 2011
Press kit and photos available on http://corporate.airfrance.com/en


Air France, the first European carrier
to offer flights on the A380

I. An aircraft well-suited
to the strategy of Air France        2
1. A very large capacity aircraft seating 516 passengers,        
which matches the powerful hub at Paris-Charles de Gaulle         3
2. 20% reduction in unit operating costs          4
3. An environmentally-friendly aircraft        5
II. Travelling on board the A380:       
comfortable, quiet and spacious        6
1. More comfort in all the cabins         8
2. Four cabin classes on two decks        13
III. Adapting
to the world’s largest aircraft        19

The Air France Airbus A380


The Air France Airbus A380

I. An aircraft well-suited to the strategy of Air France
The A380 enables Air France to continue to improve its customer service while remaining cost-efficient.
Closely involved in the studies for the . A3XX . programme right from the start in 1996, aimed at defining the Airbus A380, Air France took part in all the working groups, made up of people from Airbus and the main launch carriers, to design a plane which would meet customer expectations.
This super jumbo, operated by Air France since November 2009, offers several new features: a quieter cabin, six bars divided between the two decks and additional space and comfort.
The A380 boasts equivalent capacity to that of a Boeing 777-200ER and an Airbus A340 combined, while offering a 20% reduction in operating costs. Its size and performance are particularly well-suited to the Air France network and save the Company from 12 to 15 million euros per aircraft per year.
This investment corresponds to Air France’s strategy of continually renewing and upgrading its aircraft whose average age of 9.2 years makes it one of Europe’s youngest fleets.
During summer 2011, Air France will operate 6 Airbus A380s between Paris, New York, Johannesburg, San Francisco, Montreal and Washington. A total of 12 planes are on order.
Welcome on board!
1. A very large capacity aircraft seating 516 passengers,
which matches the powerful hub at Paris-Charles de Gaulle
The Air France network is organized around the Paris-Charles de Gaulle hub, and the main principle is to link a large number of short and medium-haul routes – those operated by small aircraft – to bigger, long-haul routes which are operated by larger capacity aircraft.
Consequently the capacity of the A380 is perfectly suited to the powerful hub at Paris-Charles de Gaulle, which offers passengers over 20,000 connecting opportunities a week.
The aircraft’s main deck is the equivalent size of the Boeing 777-200 and the upper deck the size of an Airbus A340-300. Air France can therefore rationalize its frequencies on busy routes by replacing two flights which leave at similar times by one flight, while offering the same number of seats.
For example, between Paris and New York, an A380 leaving at 1:35pm can
replace two flights operated by an A340 and a 777-200, leaving at 10:30am and at 1:35pm.
2. 20% reduction in unit operating costs  
. 20% less fuel burned compared with an A330
For such a huge aircraft, the A380 burns less than three litres per 100 km per passenger, thanks to the performance of its four GP 7200 engines and to the technological innovations in its design, which contribute to reducing weight and improving aerodynamic efficiency. This represents a 20% saving on fuel per passenger compared with the A330.
The GP 7200 engine, specially developed by Engine Alliance – a 50/50 joint-venture between General Electric and Pratt & Whitney – to power the A380 incorporates cutting-edge technology with the recognized and proven techniques of the high-thrust engines such as the GE90 which powers the Boeing 777.
Many tons of composite materials have been used in the aircraft structure – such as GLARE (Glass-Reinforced fibre metal laminate), all of which have reduced the aircraft’s weight by 25%, thereby cutting down on fuel consumption.
. Maintenance costs down by 20 to 25%  
The advanced materials making up the aircraft’s fuselage have also cut maintenance and repair costs by 20 to 25%, which account for a total of 15 to 20% of the aircraft’s direct operating costs.
. Characteristics shared with other Airbus aircraft
The A380 shares the same cockpit design, fly-by-wire controls and piloting characteristics with the other new generation Airbus aircraft.

3. An environmentally-friendly aircraft
. Reduced gas emissions
Thanks to lower fuel burn, the A380 also produces less CO2 per passenger than any other plane. With less than 75 g of CO2 produced per passenger kilometre, the A380 is one of the most environmentally-friendly aircraft.
In addition, thanks to its new-generation Engine Alliance GP 7200 engines, the A380 easily meets the latest international requirements. Compared with the most recent standards of the Environmental Protection Committee of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), this Superjumbo emits 40% less nitrogen oxide (NOx), and 80% less hydrocarbons (HC) and carbon monoxides (CO).
. The quietest aircraft in its category
The A380 incorporates cutting-edge technology in terms of noise reduction.
Thanks to its aerodynamic shape and engine performance, the A380 generates half as much noise as a 747-400 when it takes off.
The A380 complies with the strictest of current noise level standards, with a noise margin of 17.5 dB compared with ICAO’s Chapter IV noise standards, the most demanding set of standards in terms of acoustic quality for new aircraft.
This high margin means that the A380 will, as of today, meet the noise reduction targets stipulated by ICAO and the European Commission (ACARE project) for 2020.


516
passengers

15
million euros
in savings
per year
and per aircraft

20%
reduction in
operating costs



Paris-Charles de Gaulle hub



GP 7200 engine powering the Air France A380


The aerodynamic shape of the A380 means
a reduction in gas and noise emissions


The polished stones in the gallery:
soft curves and straight lines, a harmony of
contrasts between light and dark

II. Travelling on board the A380:
comfortable, quiet and spacious
The 516 passengers on board Air France’s A380 enjoy more comfort and space, whichever cabin they are travelling in: La Première on the upper deck (9 seats), the Business cabin (80 seats) and Premium Voyageur (38 seats) on the upper deck and the Voyageur-Economy cabin, located on both decks (389 seats including 46 on the upper deck).
On board, Air France has designed everything so that passengers on this Superjumbo aircraft enjoy a moment of well-being, in a quiet and particularly soothing cabin with noise levels which are 5 decibels lower than industry standards.
Air France has designed a stylish cabin with no details overlooked and new features exclusive to the Airbus A380.
The colour schemes and lighting have been chosen to make the atmosphere as relaxed as possible. The gallery area, the six bars located in all cabins and the stairs connecting the two decks remind us of travel on the large transatlantic ocean liners, geared towards relaxation and conviviality, with an added Air France touch.
Wherever you look - the winding stairs, the stylish curves of the gallery or the starry lights at the bars - a feeling of relaxation and peace emerges.
During the day, the cabin is well lit by 220 windows divided between the two decks. These decks are connected by two stairways, offering an unparalleled surface area with four aisles allowing easy access for passengers and enhancing the sense of space.
1. More comfort in all the cabins
. To enhance the feeling of well-being:
subdued lighting to cross times zones without feeling tired
The A380 is more spacious than any other aircraft, with 50% more floor space than a 747. It is also equipped with a sophisticated lighting system which Air France developed specially to make passengers’ time on board even more enjoyable and relaxing.
The lighting is not only a key element in the feeling of comfort for passengers, but also plays a role in synchronizing the body clock. On board the Air France A380, different lighting environments exist depending on what passengers are doing on board.
Air France has come up with several different lighting ambiances, depending on the cabin and the various flight phases.
Lighting is at its most intense during boarding and disembarkation. While the aircraft is taxiing, the lighting is dimmed to adapt to the take-off and landing phases. At meal times, the lighting is similar to that of a restaurant in all four cabins. When passengers are waking up, shades of light bring additional comfort.
. To relax, chat and meet up: for the first time, bars in all cabins

To enjoy a drink, relax or chat with friends or family, each cabin on the A380 has its own bars, including one exclusively reserved for La Première customers, two in the Business cabin and three in the Voyageur cabin. Throughout the flight, these bars offer all A380 passengers the chance to meet up over a drink and a snack, which are available depending on the flight time.
. A new, improved, more user-friendly in-flight entertainment system to relax with
The A380’s in-flight entertainment system is completely new, with wider screens and easier navigation, enabling passengers to access programmes in just a few clicks.
Passengers can choose between movies - either by category or by alphabetical order - select those which are dubbed or subtitled in a particular language or follow the aircraft’s flight path (Geovision) in real time, in a second window.
The video on demand (VOD) entertainment system, enabling each passenger to choose when they want to start, finish or pause a programme, offers approximately 600 hours of viewing, including about a hundred full-length movies some of which are translated in up to nine languages and a juke-box of 300 CDs with around 3,000 pieces of music.
. Each seat equiped with a USB socket
Air France is the first airline in the world to equip each seat in the Business, Premium Voyageur and Voyageur cabins with a USB socket, enabling passengers to download contents such as flight schedules, information on Air France, destination guides, games for children, relaxation videos and podcasts. Passengers who do not have a USB key can purchase one on board
. Easier access and additional comfort for reduced-mobility passengers
For easier access for reduced-mobility and disabled passengers, Air France’s A380 cabin has been specially designed to include:
- easy-access toilets,
- removable armrests on 99% of seats,
- two on-board transfer wheelchairs,
- seat row numbers in Braille.
2. Four cabin classes on two decks
. The La Première cabin: spacious and private
No detail has been overlooked in the La Première cabin. With just nine seats, this cabin offers passengers a feeling of space and privacy.
. A new changing cabin
At the front of the La Première cabin, passengers can use the new private chan-ging cabin to change into their lounging suit before sleeping, or to get ready before arrival.
In this new area, which has natural light streaming through the window, there is a dressing table opposite two built-in shelves containing top-of-the-range Clarins beauty products, ensuring optimum well-being both during and after the flight.

Opposite this area there is a wardrobe offering La Première passengers a comple-mentary exclusive service: cabin crew give each passenger a clothes bag in which to put all their personal belongings.
. A new improved seat
New improvements have been made to the La Première seat, with easier movement enabling passengers to find their ideal position and a new innovative handset.
The seat covers, made from “Climatex” fabric, provide optimum comfort thanks to the special fabric, superior to all conventional fabrics with the capacity to absorb and release water vapour. Its manufacturing process is environmentally friendly, using renewable materials such as wool and beech tree cellulose.
. An exclusive bar for La Première passengers
A bar with magazines and a buffet enables passengers to enjoy a drink and a bite to eat, relax and talk, out of earshot of the other passengers in the cabin.
La Première passengers will be the only passengers allowed to use the wide staircase with 14 steps during the flight to access the gallery on the upper deck.
. The Affaires cabin: calm and relaxation
Air France’s Business cabin is situated on the upper deck of the A380, providing a calm atmosphere for passengers, ideal for working or relaxing.
. Well-being and comfort in a quiet atmosphere
On the upper deck, the Affaires cabin is fitted with 6 seats across – two on each side of the cabin and two in the centre – providing optimum space and comfort.
In this way, each passenger has either an aisle seat or a window seat, where there are additional side storage compartments for passengers’ personal belongings.
The A380’s spacious cabin enables Air France to offer an improved seat in the Business cabin. Two metres long, the seat has a more comfortable seat recline for take-off and landing.
Each seat has a socket for recharging laptops and a 15-inch video screen (38 centimetres).
. Live images of outside the aircraft
The A380 is equipped with three external mini-cameras located at the front, below and at the rear of the plane whose images are retransmitted live throughout the flight. Passengers can display the three different views on their individual screen and enjoy the images of the landscapes overflown by the super jumbo.
. A forum for an even more convivial atmosphere
For an even more convivial atmosphere, passengers can also enjoy exchanges via themes forums. To do this, passengers simply select the “Forum” programme from the list which automatically disconnects when another application is selected.
. The A380 gallery, the Air France touch dedicated to art and culture
On board its Airbus A380s, Air France is the first airline to offer an in-flight gallery concept, thanks to its partnerships with major museums worldwide and other artistic institutions. This type of open-plan area is the most spacious offered by any airline.
Air France thus offers its La Première and Business customers the opportunity each month to discover, in the gallery located on the upper deck of the aircraft, artistic exhibitions presented in a video format on three 38-cm screens.
Since its launch, the Air France gallery has presented works of international artists from prestigious museums and art institutes such as the Musée du Louvre, the Palazzo Grassi in Venice and the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York, and notably since January 2011:
- a video work by Beno.t Broisat, called . Bonneville . (2004), offered by the Paris Museum of Modern Art,
- a selection of videos by Mark Lewis, a Canadian artist who represented Canada at the 2009 Venice Biennale,
- Currently showing are a series of artistic portraits of celebrities (Brad Pitt, Isabelle Huppert and Isabella Rossellini, and more) by Bob Wilson, a stage director who has worked for the world’s most prestigious opera houses including the Metropo-litan Opera and Opéra Bastille.
. The Voyageur cabin: additional comfort on both decks
On the A380, the Voyageur cabin is situated on both the main and upper decks and boasts exclusive new features.
The seat is the widest in the Air France fleet, with armrests which are 30% wider, providing each passenger with more independence.
They also enjoy more space, as Air France is the first airline to integrate the video controls into the seat, instead of having them in front of passengers’ legs.
Each seat has a large 8.4-inch (21-cm) individual video screen, providing unrivalled quality of viewing and a conveniently situated headphone socket. Passengers can also recharge their laptop batteries in sockets located around the cabin.
. Bars on both the main and upper deck
Three modern, spacious bars, two on the main deck and one on the upper deck, offer refreshments throughout the flight and the opportunity for passengers to meet and relax. This enables each passenger to take the time to really enjoy their flight.

6
different
lighting
ambiances

4
cabin
classes

6
bars in the three cabins



The gallery: a relaxing atmosphere with the right balance of colour and materials

Pinpricks of light on the stairs in the Voyageur cabin give the staircase a graceful look


A different lighting ambiance for each
stage of the trip : here in the La Première cabin



Different shades of light herald the dawn.
Here, in the Affaires cabin

An amber light that enhances the evening
atmosphere in the Voyageur cabin


A bar exclusively reserved for La Première
passengers, where vintage Champagne
is available


= 6 bars on the two decks

x1

x2

x3

At the two bars in the Affaires cabin, a constellation of stars lights up the view of the sky

Three bars in the Voyageur cabin to choose between,
to relax and enjoy a drink together

on the upper deck



on the main deck


Air France lifestyle: subtly integrated technology
for each passenger’s enjoyment.
Here, in the Affaires cabin.


A USB socket for downloading contents offered by Air France

The Affaires cabin: noise-reducing headphones to listen to 600 hours of programmes and 300 CDs offered by Air France



Air France is the first airline to introduce an area dedicated to learning and culture


Easy-access toilets for
reduced-mobility passengers


The La Première cabin, on the main deck


on the main deck



The La Première changing cabin: natural light, curved lines, feminine and welcoming, for optimum well-being


The Air France sea-horse, a stamp of quality, subtly embroidered on the La Première lounging suit


The stairs exclusively reserved for La Première passengers:
a game of contrasts between mat and gloss, light and dark


The Affaires cabin, on the upper deck



on the upper deck


Side storage compartments for more space and comfort

In the Affaires cabin, the 15-inch video screen is the largest in the Air France fleet


. Premium Voyageur cabin: space and comfort
Premium Voyageur offers enhanced comfort thanks to a private cabin situated between the Business and Voyageur cabins on the upper deck and which offers 40% additional space compared with Voyageur (Economy) class.
Air France is the first European airline to offer a reclining seat inside a fixed shell in an intermediate cabin.
Inside the fixed shell, the seat reclines to 123°, allowing the passenger to relax comfortably with the legs extended. The seat is also equipped with a legrest whose height can be adjusted, an adjustable footrest and a headrest that can be raised, with moveable wings.
The roomy seat is 19 inches (48cm) wide, with 10-cm wide leather armrests and a 10.4 inch (26cm) wide video screen.
Practically, each seat features:
. an electric plug for a laptop,
. a wide tray that can easily accommodate a laptop along with papers and a glass, all comfortably lit by an individual directional reading light,
. a cocktail tray prolonging the armrest,
. a noise-reducing headset for optimum enjoyment of the exclusive Air France audio and video programmes.
In terms of comfort, customers benefit from business class amenities such as the toiletries kit, the feather pillow and the pure wool blanket. The in-fight meal service is the same as in Economy.


on the upper deck


The Voyageur cabin is situated on both decks.
Here, on the upper deck


on the upper deck

on the main deck


Of all the Voyageur cabin seats in the Air France fleet,
the A380 seat is the widest


Each passenger in the Voyageur cabin has an individual 8.4-inch screen

The shape of the seat gives passengers more legroom








200
million euros
invested in ground facilities

III. Adapting to the world’s largest aircraft
The arrival of the A380 in the Air France fleet in November 2009 was a much-awaited, very special occasion for both its customers and in-flight and ground teams.
To take into account the huge dimensions of this very large aircraft, over 5,000 people received training in France and at all the stations served by the A380, to ensure that passengers enjoy optimum conditions of service, comfort and relaxation at every stage of their trip.
In addition, Air France invested some 200 million euros on building ground facilities, carrying out the construction work and investing in the necessary equipment to handle the A380.
. Suitable training for all staff
Each crew on board the A380 comprises two pilots* and 22 flight attendants. In all, more than 5,000 staff, pilots, flight attendants, maintenance technicians and airport agents have been specially trained in handling this super jumbo.
* plus a third pilot on flights lasting over 8 hours 30 minutes.
. Special equipment adapted to the giant of the skies
For the A380 ground operations, Air France invested in entirely new equipment, capable of handling a super jumbo jet which is 24 metres high and can weigh up to 560 tonnes at take-off, i.e. 35% heavier than a Boeing 747-400ER.
A new catering vehicle used to load and unload food supplies was specially designed for direct access to the upper deck, which is over 8 metres high. Loading vehicles have been modified to cater to the size of the A380’s hold doors.
. New hangars dedicated to maintenance for the world’s biggest aircraft
Maintenance operations on the Airbus A380s are carried out by Air France Industries in a dedicated hangar in the maintenance area of Paris-Charles de Gaulle. The building, designed by architects Jean Mas and Fran.ois Roux, is a real architectural feat: 110 metres wide, 40 metres high, 3,000-ton framework capable of bearing 400 tons. This building occupies a total surface area of 2.6 hectares.

A second hangar will shortly be constructed to double the maintenance capacity of this type of aircraft at Paris-Charles de Gaulle.
. Ground facilities to match the size of the super jumbo
Air France, Airbus and the airport authorities (Paris Airports at Paris-Charles de Gaulle) worked together to adapt the terminal facilities to the size of the A380 and its passenger capacity.
At Paris-Charles de Gaulle, the take-off runways and taxi roads used by the planes were adapted for the A380.
The organization and lay-out of satellite S3 at Paris-Charles de Gaulle were designed to be compatible with the super jumbo and to allow for the optimum turnaround of the aircraft in exactly the same time as for other Air France long-haul flights.
The S3 is able to simultaneously handle six A380s. Each parking stand is equipped with three jetways, one of which provides direct access to the upper deck, which makes for smooth boarding and disembarkation.
Security checkpoints and baggage delivery carrousels at terminal 2E have also been specially adapted to the A380.

6
parking stands at
Terminal S3  

5,000
staff trained


Air France H6 hangar at Paris-Charles de Gaulle


The A380 at Paris-Charles de Gaulle