Airbus A380 Welcomed 'Home' by UK Aerospace Industry

(March 18, 2008) -- The Society of British Aerospace Companies (SBAC) welcomes the forthcoming arrival of the Airbus A380 on its first scheduled passenger flight into the UK. The aircraft, operated by Singapore Airlines, will touch down at London's Heathrow airport later today (18 March).

Around a third of the A380 arriving today was manufactured in the UK, including the wings by Airbus in Broughton, North Wales and the engines by Rolls-Royce in Derby.

The Airbus A380 is a major step forward in airline manufacturing as the industry seeks to deliver on the goals set by the Sustainable Aviation initiative. Its CO2 emissions, at 75 grams per passenger kilometre, mean that it produces an equivalent amount of carbon dioxide to a car that is exempt from the London congestion charge. It also makes less noise at take-off than experienced inside a London Underground carriage or about the same noise as standing five metres from heavy traffic. It also produces almost half the noise of older large commercial aircraft.

Ian Godden, SBAC Chief Executive, said:

"Aerospace is a manufacturing success story in the UK, investing over GBP2.5 billion per year in research and development. Without the contributions from many British and British-based companies air passengers around the world would literally not be able to get off the ground.

"The country should be proud of the enormous contribution that more than a quarter of a million UK aerospace workers make to keep the global economy moving. At a time when there is a widely-held perception that Britain no longer has much of a manufacturing industry the aerospace sector conclusively proves otherwise."

Source : SBAC