Knock/Eirtrade thread

Tow

I can help thinking with her fully loaded 15,000 km range and much further if striped out etc. She would be the ideal aircraft to 'rescue' Irish stuck in Peru, Australia etc.

joujoujou

I'm not sure if EIKN's runway is long enough for takeoff, to be honest with you.

Lurching

Tow wrote: »

I can help thinking with her fully loaded 15,000 km range and much further if striped out etc. She would be the ideal aircraft to 'rescue' Irish stuck in Peru, Australia etc.

There's plenty of other capable aircraft sitting on the ground that could do that, with a hell of a lot less red tape.

Lurching

Lurching wrote: »

There's plenty of other capable aircraft sitting on the ground that could do that, with a hell of a lot less red tape.

If the Irish government needed such a large aircraft to bring people home, they could always do what the civil aviation authority in the UK did when Thompson went bust and simply charter and A380 from the likes of Singapore airlines or whomever.

That would seem a bit simpler than all the hassle of getting the one at Knock up and running.

SNNUS

Tow wrote: »

I can help thinking with her fully loaded 15,000 km range and much further if striped out etc. She would be the ideal aircraft to 'rescue' Irish stuck in Peru, Australia etc.

Aircraft has been decommissioned, no AOC no operator. 1000's of suitable aircraft available for charter right now.

joujoujou

Just a quick update, if anyone's interested: went there this morning, and, as expected, nothing's changed since my last visit. No changes, hence no photos.

IQO

https://twitter.com/AirlineFlyer/status/1263120530741383171

Lurching

IQO wrote: »

Air France

Unprecedented times for the whole aviation industry.

hopeso

Hard to say what will happen to the one at Knock now....It’s potential value as a source of spare parts must have plummeted. There will be fewer A380’s flying after this, and a lot more of them available as a source of spares.
If whoever does own it has taken a hit, it might put an end to any more of them coming to Knock?

Lurching

hopeso wrote: »

Hard to say what will happen to the one at Knock now....It’s potential value as a source of spare parts must have plummeted. There will be fewer A380’s flying after this, and a lot more of them available as a source of spares.
If whoever does own it has taken a hit, it might put an end to any more of them coming to Knock?

If parts do take a hit, it might actually make it cheaper for some airlines to keep theirs in service - hoovering up those parts.
The market will find its balance in the next year or two and I'd imagine quite a few A380's will continue to fly (particularly if the oil price remains low).

Comhrá

Seems like every day now there's news of airlines grounding their A380 fleets.

The future looks increasingly precarious for the big jet now. Emirates are currently trying to cancel a number of frames they have on order.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/ericrosen/2020/05/20/air-france-retiring-all-airbus-a380s-immediately/

Cookiemunster

Emirates will continue to fly them though. They make up nearly half their fleet.

Comhrá

Cookiemunster wrote: »

Emirates will continue to fly them though. They make up nearly half their fleet.

I'd guess that 2-3 years from now,or even sooner, Emirates will be the only operator of the type.

Board Walker

https://samchui.com/2020/05/06/lufthansa-technik-is-working-on-worlds-first-a380-cargo-conversion/#.XsZQdRNKhT4

Lufthansa converting A380 for freight

Board Walker

https://samchui.com/2020/05/06/lufthansa-technik-is-working-on-worlds-first-a380-cargo-conversion/#.XsZQdRNKhT4

Lufthansa converting an A380 for freight.

Hotblack Desiato

Wasn't it always said that a 380 didn't really work for freight because it ran out of weight long before it ran out of volume? Strengthening floors and adding cargo doors is going to add to the airframe weight, obviously they will remove the passenger equipment, but still...

TheBoyConor

Forgetting about the parts, would the scrapping of them be able to make a bit of profit on the back of the scrap value of the metals?

If not, then it looks like aircraft scrapping will go like ship scrapping - off to the likes of India and Bangladesh where they'll be chopped up with minimal costs on account of zero thought given to H&S or the environment. Take a look at Chittagong ship breakers to see the level that they operate at over there. I could not expect any different if they start scrapping planes over there.

Imagine if plane scrapping becomes unprofitable in Europe and other developed places. It'll be like this....

"No training, no medical care, no safety. treat him like and animal. If he dies, who cares? Replace him with another one."

imfml

Hotblack Desiato wrote: »

Wasn't it always said that a 380 didn't really work for freight because it ran out of weight long before it ran out of volume? Strengthening floors and adding cargo doors is going to add to the airframe weight, obviously they will remove the passenger equipment, but still...

If there is a demand to move high volume light weight PPE to wherever the next epicentre happens to be for the next couple of years, it could make sense. It does seem to be the beginning of the end for the A380 though.

Lurching

TheBoyConor wrote: »

Forgetting about the parts, would the scrapping of them be able to make a bit of profit on the back of the scrap value of the metals?

A tiny fraction of the value of scrapping an aircraft lies in the metal.
It's all in the components and engines, particularly where there's remaining green time.

California Dreamer

One A380 took to the skies yesterday. First time in over 2 months.

https://simpleflying.com/british-airways-airbus-a380-manila/

john boye

California Dreamer wrote: »

One A380 took to the skies yesterday. First time in over 2 months.

https://simpleflying.com/british-airways-airbus-a380-manila/

There was a China Southern one in Heathrow too. They haven't stopped flying theirs throughout this.

Rawr

Hotblack Desiato wrote: »

Wasn't it always said that a 380 didn't really work for freight because it ran out of weight long before it ran out of volume? Strengthening floors and adding cargo doors is going to add to the airframe weight, obviously they will remove the passenger equipment, but still...

Makes me wonder if it would be feasible / possible to turn an A380 into a sort of Combi Frieghter / Passenger plane. Lower deck freight, and upper deck passenger cabin as usual.

That's assuming you have routes where there's decent enough demand for both freight and passenger travel.

Lurching

Rawr wrote: »

That's assuming you have routes where there's decent enough demand for both freight and passenger travel.

The majority of air freight goes on normal passenger flights.
Dedicated freighters carry a fraction of the world's air-freight.

(or, at least that's true for Lufthansa - 90% of their freight goes on pax flights)

hopeso

It appears that the dismantling of F-HPJB has finally started at Knock.

Cosmo Kramer

The last (probably) Air France A380 flight took place today. I wonder if any more of them will be headed for Knock in the coming months?

Pat Dunne

hopeso wrote: »

It appears that the dismantling of F-HPJB has finally started at Knock.

I wonder would they sell me a set of First Class seats. Would be great in the Man Cave.

hopeso

Pat Dunne wrote: »

I wonder would they sell me a set of First Class seats. Would be great in the Man Cave.

They have contact info on their website. Can't hurt to ask...... https://eirtradeaviation.com

mickdw

I think the price might be sky high!!

RadioRetro

Would the aircraft not go for scrapping with cabin interior removed?

EDIT: Nope, just watching an episode of Plane Reclaimers and the just delivered 737 has a fully equipped cabin.

hopeso

mickdw wrote: »

I think the price might be sky high!!

Very likely.... But on the other hand, there won't be much demand for second hand A380 seating with the current situation....