Whenever I’m flying home into LaGuardia Airport, I request a window seat and willfully disobey the flight crew by keeping my point-and-shoot turned on. On this particular September afternoon, there was high cloud cover with one rogue cloud hovering ominously above Midtown Manhattan. I timed this exposure so that you can see straight down 42nd Street, all the way to the Hudson River. Greenpoint, Brooklyn and Long Island City, Queens are visible in the foreground, separated by Newtown Creek.
Other than adjusting some levels and adding a bit of a vignette, I didn’t manipulate or ‘shop the original capture.
These autonomous people-movers run along a closed course between Heathrow’s Terminal 5 and the Business Car Park, 2.4 miles away. (Matthew Phenix)
Tucked in a corner of Terminal 5 at London’s Heathrow airport, the future of urban mobility is quietly unfolding.
Since 2011, on a closed course between the terminal and the Business Car Park, 2.4 miles away, a fleet of 21 diminutive passenger pods have ferried as many as 1,000 passengers each day, quietly logging well more than 1m autonomous miles in the process. It’s a small-scale experiment, commissioned by Heathrow Airport Holdings Limited and built by UK-based Ultra Global PRT (for Personal Rapid Transit), but its success – measured by cost savings, environmental impact and user-friendliness – may help define locomotion in the city of tomorrow.
This is no miniature railway; Ultra pods are real cars, with rubber tires and untethered, battery-driven powertrains. Although they OFFER space for as many as six people and their luggage, they are compact, measuring 12ft long, 5ft wide and 6ft tall; and lightweight, tipping the scales at just 1,870lbs, including a 141lb battery pack. At its 25mph top speed, the pod draws only 2kW of electricity and hums along at 35dB (quieter than a refrigerator). Pods self-monitor battery level, occasionally excusing themselves at station stops for “opportunity charging”.
Pods wait in the station at Heathrow’s Terminal 5. (Matthew Phenix)
More than a novelty, the Heathrow pod network boasts some impressive environmental claims. The system already meets Kyoto Protocol 2050 projections, delivering a 50% reduction in per-passenger carbon emissions compared with diesel-powered buses and 70% compared with cars. By Heathrow’s estimate, the pods replace some 70,000 bus journeys each year. And unlike a shuttle bus, the average wait time for a pod is less than 10 seconds (80% of passengers have no wait at all).
Operation is splendidly simple. In the station, touch-screens allow riders to select their destination (Heathrow’s system OFFERS only two outbound options). The doors open and a mellifluous recorded voice welcomes the rider and begins narrating the experience. After the passenger presses the “Close doors” and “Start” buttons, the pod autonomously backs out of its parking spot and hums away from the station.
Pods accommodate as many as six passengers and their luggage; controls couldn’t be simpler. (Matthew Phenix)
It’s a five-minute ride from end to end, and the experience is altogether delightful. Crossing over seven roads and two rivers, a journey by Heathrow pod is more like a theme-park ride than a car-park transfer.
Of course, building a closed-course autonomous vehicle is decidedly easier than building one for the open road, à la the Google self-driving car, which must negotiate such obstacles as complex roadway interchanges, pedestrians and non-autonomous vehicles. But simplicity has its advantages. The pods themselves, which use mostly off-the-shelf automotive hardware, have proven highly reliable, and the system’s lightweight infrastructure – slender, easily installed trackways and flyovers – is, says Ultra, between six and 10 times more resource-efficient than typical road or rail systems.
Pods self-monitor battery status, occasionally excusing themselves at station stops for “opportunity charging”. (Matthew Phenix)
And Ultra has big plans for its little pods. Working with investors in India, the company intends to build a 4.8-mile elevated circuit in the city of Amritsar, about 285 miles north of New Delhi. This network will include seven stations and more than 200 pods capable of transporting some 50,000 passengers a day. And in November 2013, Ultra Global PRT and Taiwan-based China Engineering Consultants completed a feasibility study for the implementation of a sprawling PRT system New Taipei City, population 6.9m.
While it is not difficult to imagine specific pod applications – within city centres, for example, or between cities and airports – an all-pod future is a decidedly loftier proposition. A pod network like Heathrow’s works because riders can grab any pod, at any time, with no waiting. And while the service is personal, it isn’t private. The question is, will future drivers be willing relinquish the privilege of owning the cars of their choice – and the freedom of driving those cars themselves – for the convenience of a hands-off motoring future?
Dubai announced this week that the emirate’sAl Maktoum International Airport is about to get a massive $32 billion expansion.
Since opening in 2010, the four year-old airport has been mainly used for cargo operations. Passenger service commenced last year.
With this announcement, the seaside emirate will have a second major international airport, in addition to the already palatial Dubai International – home to Emirates Airlines.
The Al Maktoum Airport will serve as the focal point for Dubai World Central, a purpose-built “airport city” located 23 miles outside of Dubai. The 54 square mile airport metropolis will feature everything from commercial, residential, and leisure developments to state-of-the art cargo and air passenger facilities.
Dubai Airports expects Al Maktoum to be able to handle more than 120 million passengers a year, making it the busiest airport in the world. The expansion, which is expected to take six to eight years to complete, will enable the facility to accomodate up to 100 Airbus A380 Superjumbos simultaneously.
If that’s not enough, Al Maktoum International Airport can be further expanded to handle up to 200 million passengers per year. By 2020, the airport is expected to support more than 322,000 jobs and account for as much as 28% of Dubai’s GDP.
According to Paul Griffiths, CEO of Dubai Airports:
Our future lies at Dubai World Central (DWC). The announcement of this $32 billion development of DWC is both timely and a strong endorsement of Dubai’s aviation industry. With limited options for further growth at Dubai International, we are taking that next step to securing our future by building a brand new airport that will not only create the capacity we will need in the coming decades but also provide state of the art facilities that revolutionize the airport experience on an unprecedented scale.
An airline passenger is lucky to be alive after he suffered a mid-air heart attack during a long-haul flight and was saved by three fellow travellers.
The man was midway through a flight from Canada to Hong Kong when he complained of chest pains and his heart suddenly stopped beating.
Luckily, a doctor, a pharmacist and a policeman trained in first aid were all on board and, with the help of crew, kept him alive.
+2
A man suffered a heart attack while flying from Canada to Hong Kong last month, but his life was saved by a doctor, a pharmacist and a policeman who were on board
He has now made a full recovery in a case which is being used as an example of why portable defibrillators should be carried on all flights.
The dramatic incident, which happened last month, came to light after the doctor involved reported it to the British Medical Journal, which called the episode ‘a remarkable story of survival against all the odds’.
Dr Dave Monks, an anaesthesiologist who has worked at the Royal Free Hospital in London, said the man was taken ill hundreds of miles from the nearest airport in some of the most remote airspace on earth.
Dr Monks said the man told him of striking pains moving from his chest to his head.
The passenger then lost consciousness and had no pulse, causing Dr Monks to ask other passengers for help.
Luckily, a pharmacist who had worked in an intensive care unit and a trained policeman came forward and, using a portable defibrillator, they gave the man an electric shock to get his heart pumping again.
The doctor involved said the incident highlighted the importance of having defibrillators on flights and in training as many people as possible in how to use them
When the man’s health again deteriorated, the brave trio kept him alive using adrenaline from the plane’s medical kit.
The pilot of the aircraft then landed in Beijing, China and the man was rushed to a nearby hospital. Remarkably, he was discharged 10 days later having made a complete recovery.
Dr Monks told Live Science: ‘This guy was extremely fortunate to have this team there.
‘These guys just happened to be on the plane and even with the [basic medical skills] they had, they were able to perform a quite dramatic and sophisticated critical care resuscitation.’
He said the episode shows the importance of keeping defibrillators on passenger planes and training people in first aid.
He cited research that shows people are more likely to have heart attacks on flights due to stress, disturbed sleep patterns and lower levels of oxygen.
One study suggests about 1,000 passengers per year experience sudden cardiac arrest while on flights.
Another week, another flight divertedbecause passengers were fighting over a reclining seat.
It’s the great airborne travel question of our age: To recline, or not to recline?
Of course, the core of the problem is the coach airline seat itself. While there’s been, it seems, near constant innovation for first- and business-class seats, the stalwart coach seat has suffered with the same design since the 1960s, according to AirGo Design, a Singapore-based startup that wants to reinvent the genre.
“AirGo is the only aircraft seat in the world which is designed based on actual 3D scanning data of human body and therefore, is ergonomically superior,” the company’s co-founder and Chief Technology Officer, Alireza Yaghoubi, recently told BizDaily in a Q&A. (The company was founded in 2013).
As you can see from this screenshot of AirGo’s Orion seating system, reclining isn’t an issue: The seat behind and the seat in front are designed to prevent one passenger’s actions from interfering with another passenger’s space.
Screenshot via AirGo Design
Plus, the entertainment screen pulls down from above, so a repositioned front seat doesn’t affect your viewing experience in the same way it does with seatback screens.
Screenshot via AirGo Design
Christopher Elliott of USA Today interviewed Yaghoubi earlier this year for a story about seating issues and the airlines. Elliott noted Yaghoubi’s view that“technology exists to offer everyone on the plane ample legroom and space to move in coach class. But it would require a significant INVESTMENT, and…airlines prefer to sink that money into first-class passengers, who are deemed more valuable.”
Consequently, the first-class seat becomes progressively more sophisticated, while the coach seat – at least of late – encourages passenger conflict, inspires controversial anti-reclining gadgets, and is probably starting to annoy pilots as they worry about diverted landings to hand over combative economy travelers to the authorities.
The reality of air travel in the 21st century is that flying economy is unpleasant.Airlines are cutting service and packing planes to improve razor thin profit margins, while flights aren’t getting any shorter. And customers are feeling the pain: A United Airlines flightwas recently forced to divert after two passengers got in a fight over a gadget called the Knee Defender that stopped one from reclining his seat.
If you don’t have the cash or the points to secure an upgrade, there are ways to make flying more pleasant, but they depend on everyone’s cooperation.
We’ve put together a list of 13 basic rules of etiquette, based on our own flying experiences and some expert opinions. Follow them, and your next flight might just be bearable — as long as everyone else follows them, too.
Alex Davies wrote an earlier version of this story.
#1 Remember how security works.
Kevork Djansezian / Getty Images
This is all about thinking a few steps ahead, so you get through the screening process as quickly as possible.
Before you get to the x-ray machine, take everything out of your pockets. Put it all in your bag, or the pocket of a coat that you’ll put through the machine.
When you belongings come out, collect them quickly and move to a spot where you’re not blocking anyone. Then you can put your shoes and belt on.
In the era of checked bag fees, carry-on space is at a premium. If you have two carry-on bags, keep the smaller one at your feet.
And, as the flight attendants will likely remind you, don’t take up someone else’s space by putting your bag in the bin horizontally.
#3 Be kind to the flight attendants.
Flight attendants didn’t create the rules about stowing tray tables, wearing seat belts, and restoring seatbacks before landing. Giving them a hard time is obnoxious, and can delay your takeoff.
At least the FAA ended its longstanding ban on the use of certain electronic devices during takeoff and landing late last year.
Gary Leff, who writes the blog View from the Wing, agrees, but told Business Insider that “some courtesy is appropriate.” To preserve his own space, he once gave a young girl $5 (with her mother’s permission) in exchange for not reclining her seat, an original solution.
If you don’t want to open your wallet, make sure to look behind you before you recline. Maybe warn the fellow traveler whose space you are about to invade, so they can hang onto their drink or adjust their laptop.
Both flights and misbehaving children can induce headaches. Together, they are almost certain to.
Parents, make an extra effort to keep your kids in check. You may be exhausted, but they are your responsibility.
For passengers with complaints: Talk to the parents, don’t scold the kid. It’s not your place to correct the behavior of a stranger’s child, and you’re likely to annoy the only people who can stop the kicking of your seat.
NBC Travel columnist James Wysong adds a plea for patience: “Have a heart. Sometimes kids just unravel — no matter how hard you try. Besides, you were a kid once, too.”
Only etiquette expert Anne Post disagreed: “There is no innate winner of the arm-rest battle. If I’m in the middle seat, I try to claim one. They are not both yours for the duration.”
Obviously, bad body odor is a terrible thing to inflict on your fellow passengers. Take a shower before heading to the airport if possible, and use deodorant.
Keep in mind that overly strong cologne or perfume can be as unpleasant as BO in close quarters.
And if you’re picking up food before your flight, stick to something that doesn’t emit too much of a scent.
If you feel like striking up a conversation, go ahead. You can meet new and interesting people, and maybe make the experience of air travel a bit more pleasant.
But if the other person is clearly not engaged, let it drop: Many people just want to endure the flight in silence, but will likely be too polite to just ignore you.
On the other hand, if someone starts TALKING TO YOU and you don’t feel like chatting, be polite, but make it clear you have other things to do.
You can open a book, slowly put your headphones on, or just conk out.
NBC’s Wyson makes another point: Even if you and your neighbor are having a great chat, your neighbors may not appreciate it: “If your conversation with a willing neighbor goes on for more than 10 minutes, take it to the back of the airplane.”
#10 Only get up at convenient times.
Shutterstock.com
Think ahead when planning your bathroom breaks. If you see a flight attendant with a cart in the aisle, stay put.
You could easily end up with the cart between you and your seat. Depending on the flight attendant, you’ll be stuck in the aisle until the service is complete, or delay service so the cart can back up and you can sit back down.
It goes without saying that getting up before the dinner trays have been collected is taboo.
It’s tough to get comfortable on an airplane, but if you’re in a middle or aisle seat, leave a way for whoever is next to you to get through without waking you up. (That means you should avoid using the tray table as a headrest.)
You may want to INVEST in a neck pillow to avoid winding up snoozing on your neighbor’s shoulder.
This one’s simple: Don’t take a lot of time, and don’t make a mess. There are probably people waiting to get in there, and they deserve a clean lavatory as much as you do.
That being said, the lavatory is unlikely to be very clean, which brings up another point: Don’t try to join the Mile High Club. Not only is it inappropriate, you’re exposing yourself to germs.
Remember that everyone is as eager to get off the plane as you are. Don’t crowd into the aisle if there isn’t room, and let everyone ahead of you get out before making a move.
You’ll have plenty of time to prepare before it’s your turn to exit, so make sure you have everything, and that you don’t take any more time than you need to.
The two basic options for traveling to a major metro airport with lots of luggage are bad and worse. You can go by car, which comes with the stress of beating traffic against a ticking clock and the heavy cost of parking fees, cab fares, or inconveniencing friends. Or, in some places, you can travel by transit or train, which comes with the uncomfortable and often physically demanding task of maneuvering bags through turnstiles, up and down stairs, and in between crowds of fellow riders.
Hong Kong would like you to know there’s a better way. A much, much better way.
It’s called “in-town check-in,” and it’s part of Hong Kong’s wonderful (and financially genius) MTR subway system. MTR has a special line dedicated to airport travel called the Airport Express (below, in teal).
As you’d expect with a name like in-town check-in, Airport Express travelers can check their luggage in town then proceed to the airport bag-free, or spend the day in the city, or do whatever travelers who aren’t carrying bags like to do.
The service is even better than that brief description suggests. Say, for instance, you have a 4 p.m. flight and have to leave your hotel by noon. That’s a very common problem that typically requires keeping a bag at THE HOTEL all day and coming back to get it before heading to the airport. Not the ideal scenario.
With in-town check-in, you could take a 10 a.m. shuttle to one of the two Airport Express stations with check-in service (Hong Kong or Kowloon), drop off your bags and get your boarding pass (the service is essentially a satellite version of a typical airline counter), then spend the next several hours touring the city or taking a meeting. Some airlines allow in-town check-in up to a full day in advance, so there’s no intricate time-management required. There are even bag porters at the Hong Kong and Kowloon stations.
Here’s the best part: The next time you see your bag is when you land. It’s not like you pick up the bag at Hong Kong airport and do the whole thing again—the bag checks all the way through to your final destination. When you do finally arrive at the Hong Kong airport, you just go straight to security.
One of the many beauties of this system is that travelers who drop off their bags at Hong Kong or Kowloon stations find themselves right on the MTR. That makes it easy to hop around town without losing a half day to airport travel (in the case of Hong Kong Station, you’re right in the central business district anyway).
The one catch, if you insist on finding one, is that you need an Airport Express ticket to use the check-in service. But you’ll probably want one of those anyway: the ticket costs about $100 Hong Kong ($13 U.S.), while taking a cab to the airport can cost several times as much. Oh, and the Airport Express train has WiFi.
So this is pretty brilliant. And it’s not just good for travelers—it’s great for the city, too, keeping cars off the road and generating revenue for the transit system.
ஆசியாவின் முதல் விமானம் எங்கே பறந்தது தெரியுமா? நாட்டின் பல முதன்மைகளைப் பெற்ற நமது பழைய மெட்ராஸில்தான். உலகின் முதல் வெற்றிகரமான விமானத்தை ரைட் சகோதரர்கள் செலுத்தி, அடுத்த 7 ஆண்டுகளில் இந்த விமானம் சென்னையில் றெக்கை கட்டிப் பறந்திருக்கிறது.
தின்பண்டத் தயாரிப்புத் தொழிலில் வெற்றிகரமாக ஈடுபட்டிருந்தவர் இத்தாலியிலுள்ள மெசினா பகுதியைச் சேர்ந்த ஜாகோமோ டி ஏஞ்சலிஸ் (Giacomo D’Angelis). வியாபாரம் செய்யும் எண்ணத்துடன் 1880-ல் இந்தியாவுக்கு வந்து மேசன் ஃபிரான்சேஸ் நிறுவனத்தை அன்றைய மெட்ராஸ் மவுண்ட் ரோடில் (இன்றைய அண்ணா சிலை சந்திப்பு அருகே) தொடங்கினார். இந்தியாவில் உணவு விநியோகிக்கும் சேவை யைத் தொடங்கிய முதல் நிறுவனம் அதுதான். ஆம்ப்டில் பிரபு காலத் தில் மெட்ராஸ் ஆளுநரின் அதிகாரப்பூர்வ உணவு விநியோகஸ்தராக ஏஞ்சலிஸின் நிறுவனம் இருந்திருக்கிறது. இதில் நல்ல அனுபவம் பெற்ற டி ஏஞ்சலிஸ், 1906-ல் ஓட்டல் டி ஏஞ்சலிஸ் என தன் பெயரிலேயே ஒரு உணவகத்தைத் தொடங்கினார். இந்த ஓட்டல் இந்தியாவில் நவீன தொழில்நுட்பத்தைப் புகுத்தியதாகக் கருதப்படுகிறது.
சென்னையிலேயே முதன்முறையாக இந்த ஓட்டலில்தான் மின் தூக்கி, மின்விசிறிகள், ஐஸ் தயாரிப்பு அமைப்பு, குளிர்பதனக் கிடங்கு, வெந்நீர்க் குழாய்கள் போன்றவை இருந்திருக்கின்றன.
டி ஏஞ்சலிஸ் நடத்திய அந்த ஓட்டல் இருந்த இடம் எதுவென்றால், இன்றைய சென்னை அண்ணா சாலை கெயிட்டி திரையரங்கம் அருகே உள்ள பாட்டா ஷோரூம் இருந்த இடம்தான்.
ஜாகோமோவுக்குப் பின்னால் சுவாரசியமான மற்றொரு கதை இருக்கிறது. ஓட்டல் ஆரம்பித்து கொஞ்ச காலத்திலேயே பிரான்சைச் சேர்ந்த பிலாரியோ, விமானம் மூலமாகவே ஆங்கிலேயக் கால்வாயைக் கடந்து ஆச்சரிய சாகசம் நிகழ்த்திய செய்தி ஜாகோமோவின் கண்களில் பட்டிருக்கிறது. நவீன தொழில்நுட்பம் மீது தீவிர ஆசை கொண்டிருந்த ஜாகோமோவுக்கு, தானும் பறக்க வேண்டும் என்று ஆசை றெக்கை வெளியே எட்டிப் பார்த்தது. தானே ஒரு விமானத்தை வடிவமைத்தார். அது ஒரு பைபிளேன். ரைட் சகோதரர்கள் ஓட்டியது போன்று, மேலும் கீழும் இரண்டு றெக்கைகள் பொருத்தப்பட்டதே பைபிளேன்.
பிறகு மெட்ராஸ் சிம்சன் நிறுவனத்தில், அதை உருவாக்கித் தர அவர் கேட்டுக்கொண்டதாக கூறப்படுகிறது. அந்த நிறுவனத்தில் இருந்த அன்றைய பிரபல பொறியாளர் ஜான் கிரீன் அதை வடிவமைத்திருக்கலாம். ஏனென்றால், விமானத்தை உருவாக்கியது சிம்சன் நிறுவனம் என்று பாரதியாரின் ‘இந்தியா’ இதழ் குறிப்பிடுகிறது. ‘‘இவ்விமானம் சென்னையில் டாஞ்சலிஸ் ஓட்டலின் பிரெஞ்சு முதலாளி டாஞ்சலிஸின் திட்டப்படி சிம்சன் கம்பெனி பட்டறையில் ‘தமிழ் வேலைக்காரர்களால்’ கட்டப்பெற்றது’’ என்று பாரதியார் எழுதியிருக்கிறார்.
சிறிய இன்ஜின் கொண்ட அந்த விமானத்தை பல்லாவரம் மலைப் பகுதியில் ஓட்டி முதலில் பரிசோதித்துப் பார்த்திருக்கிறார் டி ஏஞ்சலிஸ். அதில் நம்பிக்கை கிடைக்கவே, தீவுத் திடலில் பொது மக்களிடம் கட்டணம் வசூலித்து பறந்து காட்டியிருக்கிறார். அது நடந்த நாள் 10 மார்ச் 1910. இந்த விமானத்தில் ஒரே நாளில் பல முறை அவர் பறந்து காட்டியிருக்கிறார். அவருடைய அழைப்புக்கு ஏற்ப கூட்டத்தில் இருந்த ஒருவரும், விமானத்தில் உடன் பறந்துள்ளார்.
ஆசியாவிலேயே ஓடிய முதல் எரிசக்தி விமானம் அதுதான். இதன் மூலம் ஆசியாவிலும் இந்தியாவிலும் முதல் விமானத்தை ஓட்டியவர் என்ற பெருமையை டி ஏஞ்சலிஸ் பெறுகிறார். இந்தச் செய்தி ராயல் ஏரோ கிளப் இதழான ‘ஃபிளைட்’டில் உடனடியாக, அதாவது 1910 மார்ச் 26-ம் தேதியே பதிவாகியுள்ளது. லெவிட்டஸ் நிறுவனமே இந்தத் தகவலை வெளியிட்டது. இந்திய விமான வரலாற்றிலோ அலகாபாதில்தான் முதல் விமானம் பறந்ததாக பதிவாகியுள்ளது. ஆனால், அதற்கு 9 மாதங்களுக்கு முன்னதாகவே டி ஏஞ்சலிஸ் இந்த விமானத்தை ஓட்டியிருக்கிறார்.
‘‘இந்தியாவில் மட்டுமல்ல; ஆசியாவில் பறந்த முதல் விமானமும் ஏஞ்சலிஸ் ஓட்டிய விமானம்தான்’’ என்று விமான வரலாற்று ஆராய்ச்சியாளரும் ஓய்வுபெற்ற கேப்டனுமான கபில் பார்கவா குறிப்பிட்டிருக்கிறார். 1910 டிசம்பர் 10-ம் தேதி அலகாபாத்தில் முதல் விமானம் பறந்ததாகவும், அதே ஆண்டு டிசம்பர் 20-ம் தேதி கொல்கத்தாவில் இரண்டாவது விமானம் பறந்ததாகவும் பதிவுகள் உள்ளன. வழக்கம்போல இதிலும் முந்திக்கொண்டு உயரப் பறந்து, வானை அளந்து, சாதனை படைத்துவிட்டது நமது மெட்ராஸ்.
இந்தச் சாதனையில் இன்றைய அண்ணா சாலையும் ஒரு தனிப் பெருமையைப் பெறுகிறது. டி ஏஞ்சலிஸின் ஓட்டல் இருந்த இடம், சிம்சன் நிறுவனம், தீவுத்திடல் ஆகிய மூன்றும் அமைந்திருக்கும் இடம் மெட்ராஸின் அன்றைய மவுன்ட் ரோடு, சென்னையின் இன்றைய அண்ணா சாலை!
– ஆதி வள்ளியப்பன், தொடர்புக்கு: valliappan.k@thehindutamil.co.in
Keywords: சென்னை, சென்னை 375, சென்னை விமான நிலையம், மதறாஸப்பட்டணம், மதறாஸ்
It is the world’s largest passenger aircraft but it can be built from cockpit to wingtip in less than three months.
A workforce of 800 people can assemble, install, test, paint, furnish and deliver an Emirates A380 in 65 to 80 days.
First the aircraft fuselage is produced in the Airbus Hamburg facility in Germany and then transported to the base in Toulouse for the first stage of final assembly.
The wing sections, produced in the UK are also shipped from Hamburg to Toulouse.
On the Emirates A380, passengers enjoy first-class finishing touches like showers.Source: Supplied
Parts like the fuselage and wings are transferred through a transportation network that includes three specially-commissioned ships to carry the sections from production sites throughout Europe.
More than 10,000 bolts are used to connect the fuselage and more than 4000 for the wings.
The first part of the final assembly, produces an aircraft that is ready for its first ferry flight — minus the interior and paint.
Once assembly is complete and each of the five sections are tested by engineers, the aircraft returns to Hamburg for painting and cabin furnishing.
With a surface area the size of seven basketball courts, the A380’s paint job alone takes about 10 days.Source:Supplied
It takes 30 people about 10 days to paint the A380 which has a surface area equivalent to seven basketball courts.
More than 500kg of paint is needed to give the aircraft its white colour.
The final stage of furnishing takes about 33 working days to complete.
This includes all seats, galleys, crew rest areas, the Emirates’ unique shower-spa and private suites in First Class, the on board lounge located at the back of Business Class and the in-flight entertainment system.
Emirates took delivery of 13 of the giant double-decker aircraft in the last year taking its fleet of A380s to 50.
The on-board lounge on an Emirates A380 flight. Picture: SDP MediaSource: Supplied
The airline has two A380 configurations which seat either 489 or 517 people, including 14 in First Class, 76 in Business and 399 or 427 in Economy.
Another 90 A380s are on order.
As well as the passengers and 30 crew, the aircraft generally carries 478 bottles of wine and 31 bottles of champagne.
About 515 main courses are served on a typical flight, 450 desserts and 650 bread rolls.
The A380 carries 2267 litres of water to facilitate the four-minute showers available to First Class passengers.
First-class dining on board the Emirates A380. Picture: EmiratesSource: Supplied
The patterns of Barcelona-El Prat Airport in Spain from above. Picture: Lauren O’NeilSource: Supplied
WHO would have thought that the ground your plane roars along during takeoff could be so spectacular from afar?
At first glance, these images look like artworks adorned with striking patterns. But they are actually airport runways around the world, captured by US designer Lauren O’Neil using Google Earth.
From Barcelona to Washington, O’Neil’s photographs offer a new perspective on runways, which are places usually perceived as quite mundane.
“I’ve found even the most humdrum cities or outdated terminals can have beautiful compositions from bird’s-eye,” O’Neil said. “Even Cleveland rocks!”
The intriguing series of images have been posted to O’Neil’s Tumblr page, calledHolding Pattern.
Raivavae Airport, Austral Islands, French Polynesia. Picture: Lauren O’NeilSource: Supplied
O’Hare International Airport, US. Picture: Lauren O’NeilSource: Supplied
Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, US. Picture: Lauren O’NeilSource: Supplied
San Francisco International Airport, US. Picture: Lauren O’NeilSource: Supplied
/ Shutterstock.com
Take off with Natarajan 