Eric Joiner wrote:
Out of pure conjecture and discussion, does anybody here think that
perhaps the A380 will never be built in any volume? The shear
logistics in getting the parts around Europe seem astounding based
on the various television documentaries etc I have seen showing wings
by barge, parts by airlift, etc, etc.

A huge technical monster to assemble, I am not sure why EADS/Airbus
didnt put several specific factories next to each other in some form
of EU Trade Zone that would allow the politics to step aside for the
logistics.

Im just asking...

Eric


That's great for the factories, however, the thousands of workers & their
families who vote, spend money and pay taxes would also have to live in one
country as well.


Try to get financial and political support from the non-hosting governments,
uh-huh, yep, that'll happen.



In theory, it shouldn't be a major head**** how Airbus is doing things now,
the transport costs are only a small proportion of the price of the whole
unit. Boeing parts are shipped across the planet as well, perhaps
not the same quantity by weight and just in smaller assemblies.

Making assemblies in different countries gives Airbus a lot more flexibility
and leverage in terms of taxation & IR regimes and more long term planning
choices than Boeing has.



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Cheers

Dave Kearton