[CNN] A380 superjumbo to test experimental open fan engine

[CNN] A380 superjumbo to test experimental open fan engine

Maureen O'Hare, CNN • Updated 21st July 2022
[ https://edition.cnn.com/travel/article/airbus-cfm-a380-propulsion-demonstrator/index.html ]

[사진출처:  https://www.airbus.com/en/newsroom/press-releases/2022-07-airbus-and-cfm-international-launch-a-flight-test-demonstrator-for ]

(CNN) — Take a closer look at the plane on the top of this story. Notice anything different about one of its engines?

위의 사진에 보이는 비행기를 자세히 보라. 엔진 하나가 좀 이상한게 보이는걸 알아챘나?

This Airbus A380, the world's largest passenger jet, has been recruited as a demonstrator to trial new cutting-edge open fan engine architecture which could help cut carbon emissions by up to 20%.

세계에서 가장 큰 민항기인 이 에어버스 380이 새로운 최신 최첨단(cutting-edge) '개방 바람개비 동력장치(open fan engine)' 구조를 시험하기 위해 채용되었다(be recruited). 이 동력장치는 탄소 배출을 20%이상 줄이는데 도움이 될지도 모른다고(could help) 한다.

 

* 기존의 유류를 태워서 고온가스를 분사하는 터보 팬 제트엔진은 바람개비가 엔진 내부에 있다.

The project was unveiled Tuesday by Airbus and CFM International at Farnborough Air Show just outside of London, an annual trade exhibition showcasing the latest in aerospace innovation.

이 기획은 에어버스사와 CFM 인터내셔널사에 의해 판보로 에어쇼에서 공개됐다(unveiled). 런던 근교(just outside)에 위치한 판보로에서는 매년 항공우주 혁신을 선보이며 교역 전시회가 열린다.

* 기획(the project)이 발표됐다. 실제로 비행은 고사하고 엔진이 만들어 진 것은 아니다. 그런데 에어버스사의 A380을 시험기로 쓴다는 것은 뭔가 의도가 있다.

  

It's the latest innovation to be air-tested on the A380 "superjumbo," which has had mixed fortunes in recent years. Production of the much-loved airplane was halted in 2021 due to lack of demand. Existing aircraft were grounded by airlines during the pandemic, only to enjoy a recent resurgence due to travel demand.

최근 우여곡절(mixed fortune)을 격은 "슈퍼점보" A380에게 앞으로 하게될 비행시험은 가장 최신의 혁신이 되겠다. 큰 사랑을 받았던(much-loved) 이 항공기의 생산은 더이상 수요가 없어서(lack of demand) 2021년에 생산이 중단되었다. 팬데믹 기간동안 항공사들(airliners)에 의해 지상에 묶여 있었던(was grounded) 기존의 기체들은 최근 여행수요 덕에(due to) 재기(resurgence)를 누릴지도 모른다(only to ejnoy).

* 이미 단종된 A380 기종에 신기술을 적용한 혁신을 꾀하려고 한다. A380을 어떻게 해서든 재기 시키려는 에어버스의 노력이 눈물겹다. 주문이 끊긴 A380을 재생산하기는 어렵고 이미 생산된 기체들의 몸값을 유지해 보려고 한다. 경제성을 이유로 항공사 마다 지상에 묶여있는 A380이 골치덩이가 되었는데 팔려고 내놔도 중고시장에서 인기가 없었다. 최근 여행 수요가 늘면서 부활의 기미가 보인다는 기사가 있다.

관련기사: Why the A380 superjumbo is staging a comeback

[ https://edition.cnn.com/travel/article/a380-superjumbo-comeback/index.html ]

* resurgence: (일, 사람의)재기 / resurrection: (죽었다 살아남)부활

CFM, whose parent companies are GE and Safran Aircraft Engines, has been developing advanced propulsion technologies as part of its Revolutionary Innovation for Sustainable Engine (RISE) demonstration program.

GE와 사프란 항공엔진을 모회사로 두고있는 CFM 은 '지속 가능 엔진(sustainable engine)을 위한 혁신(RISE)'의 일부로 진보된 추진체 기술을 개발해왔다. 

* 지속가능 에너지(sustainable energy): 지금 소비해도 다음 세대에 영향을 주지 않는 에너지를 일컷는다. 환경은 물론 사회 경제적인 측면을 모두 고려 되어야 한다. 탄소배출은 물론 자원을 고갈시키지 않아야 한다. 예를 들어 풍력, 태양광, 수소연료전지 등은 지금 자원을 소비해도 닳지 않는다. 재생 에너지(renewal energy)는 바이오 연료가 이에 속하는데 탄소 배출은 적으나 연료를 만들기 위해 산림파괴가 있어나서 지속성이 없다. 신재생 에너지 혹은 그린 에너지가 지속가능 에너지에 속한다.

[ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sustainable_energy ]

Now the aim is to mature and accelerate that with a flight test campaign on board this A380, which is due to take to the skies in the latter half of this decade from the Airbus Flight Test facility in Toulouse, France.

이제 목표는 이 A380기에 장착한(on board) 비행시험 일정을 통해 기술을 성숙화하고 가속하려고 한다. 근십년 중반 이후 프랑스의 툴루즈 소재 에어버스 비행시험 시설에서 비행을 목표로 하고 있다.

* 아직 비행전 이라면 기사에 첨부된 사진은 상상도 ??

Before that happens,CFM will perform engine ground tests and flight test validation at GE Aviation's Flight Test Operations center in Victorville, California.

비행전에 CFM은 엔진의  지상시험을 실시하고 캘리포니아 빅터빌 소재 비행시험 운용센터에서 비행시험 가능성을 수행할 것이다.

The aims of the flight test program are to better understand engine/wing integration and aerodynamic performance, to demonstrate better fuel efficiency that would cut CO2 emissions by a fifth compared to today's most efficient engines, and to ensure compatibility with 100% Sustainable Aviation Fuels (SAF).

일련의 시험비행의 목표는 엔진과 날개의 통합을 더 잘 이해하고 더 나은 항공 역학적 성능을 얻고자 한다. 현존하는 가장 효율적인 엔진에 비해(compared to) 이산화탄소 CO2를 오분의 일(a fifth) 가량 줄이면서 향상된 연료효율을 얻을 수 있음을 보이고 100%의 지속가능 항공연료 를 사용할 수 있음을 확인하는 것이다.

The aviation industry has made the ambitious pledge to achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2050 and this new technology could help support that.

항공기 산업계는 야심찬 공약을 해왔다. 2050년까지 무탄소 배출을 실현하겠다는. 그리고 이 새로운 기술이 이 공약을 뒷받침하게 되리라고.

"New propulsion technologies will play an important role in achieving aviation's net-zero objectives, along with new aircraft designs and sustainable energy sources," said Sabine Klauke, Airbus Chief Technical Officer, in a statement.

"새로운 추진 기술은 항공 계의 탄소배출 목표를 실현하는데 중요한 역활을 할 것입니다. 새로운 항공기 동령장치와 지속가능 에너지 원을 통해" 라고 사빈느 클라우케 에어버스 수석 기술관이 발표문에서 밝혔다.

* in a statement: 발표문을 기자가 인용함. 기자의 직접취재가 아니라는 뜻.

The CFM RISE Program is all about pushing the technology envelope, redefining the art of the possible, and helping to achieve more sustainable long-term growth for our industry," Gaël Méheust, President and CEO of CFM International, confirmed.

CFM의 RISE 계획은 기술 전망을 이끌고(pushing) 가능성을 재정립하며(redefining) 우리 업계의 지속 가능한 장기간 성장을 도모하는데 도움을 줄 것이다"라고 가엘 메호이스트 사장이 확언했다.

Earlier this year, Airbus announced it was to test an experimental hydrogen engine on an A380 -- another partnership with CFM International -- with the aim of creating a zero-emission airplane by 2035.

올해초 에어버스는 실험용 수소 엔진 시험을 A380에 얹어 시험 하겠다고 발표했었다. CFM 인터내셔널과 별도의 협조를 맺어. 2035년 까지 무탄소배출 항공기를 목표로.

* 'sustainable' 이라는 단어만 반복했지 어떤 기술이라는 것인지 밝히지 않고 있다. Open Fan Architecture라고 포장은 했지만 프로펠러를 전기 모터로 돌리고 전기는 수소연료전지를 쓰겠다고 읽히지만(설마 태양광은 아닐테고) 아직 기술 성숙되지 않아서 되치기 당할까봐 그냥 '에서 쑈'에 나와서 '쑈' 하는중으로 보입니다. 앞으로 몇년 이내에 A380에 전기 모터 프로펠러를 달고 날게 하겠다고 하는데 시험 비행일 망정 꼭 그래야 할까요?

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이 기사는 미국식 받아쓰기 입니다. 에어버스사의 발표문을 그대로 옮겨 적고 있습니다. 기자가 첨부한 부분은 첫문장 뿐 입니다. 기사중에 적어도 받아썼다고 언급은 하고 있군요.

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https://edition.cnn.com/travel/article/a380-superjumbo-comeback/index.html

Why the A380 superjumbo is staging a comeback

Jacopo Prisco, CNN • Updated 12th July 2022

(CNN) — The post-pandemic recovery of commercial aviation may have an early, unlikely protagonist: the A380 superjumbo.

The world's largest passenger plane seemed to be on the scrapheap just two years ago, as airlines grappled with the spread of the coronavirus. The entire fleet was grounded, many of the planes went into long-term storage, and some airlines even took the chance to get rid of their A380s altogether, with Air France retiring its fleet in May 2020.

But now, as passenger numbers rise and air traffic returns to pre-pandemic levels, the plane is enjoying a resurgence. More than half the global fleet is already back into service, according to data from Flightradar24.

Lufthansa was the latest carrier to announce the plane's return -- although not before 2023 -- and there are reasons to believe that more A380s will progressively soar back into the skies.

"It's definitely having a comeback," says Geoff Van Klaveren, an aviation analyst and managing director of advisory at IBA. "Operators were quite reluctant to bring it back because it's a very costly airplane, but I think we've seen demand recovering faster than people expected."

More coming back

Airbus produced and delivered 251 A380s, and 238 remain available for service today, with the rest having been retired or scrapped. The plane, which is no longer in production, is popular with passengers and crews but not with airlines -- only 14 have operated it to date.

Out of those, nine are currently flying it: British Airways, All Nippon Airways, Emirates, Singapore Airlines, Qantas, Qatar, Asiana, Korean Air and China Southern Airlines. Some of these already have plans to press even more of their A380s back into service.

Singapore Airlines, for example, is currently flying 10 A380s out of its fleet of 12, but confirmed to CNN Travel that the remaining two are currently being retrofitted and will re-enter the fleet soon. Korean Air also said that it will bring back a third A380 out of its fleet of 10, to join the two already in service.

Related content

Lufthansa is bringing back the A380 superjumbo

Qantas, which is operating three out of its 12 A380s on the Sydney-Singapore-London route, confirmed to CNN Travel that it aims to have a total of six back into service before the end of the year, with a plan to reinstate four more by 2024 (the remaining two are to be scrapped).

Emirates, the largest A380 operator with 123 of the aircraft, is also ramping up. "Today we operate [...] more than half of our A380s," says Richard Jewsbury, divisional vice president UK at Emirates. "By the end of the year, we're aiming to operate close to 90 A380s across our entire network." That means that over a dozen more A380s will join the ones currently flying.

The very last A380 ever produced, in late 2021, went to Emirates. It's among a handful of Emirates A380s to include a premium economy section -- a middle ground between basic economy and business class.

It has proven popular enough that the airline plans to retrofit 67 more of its A380s with it, over the course of 18 months and starting later this year. In that configuration, with four classes including first, business, premium economy and economy, the aircraft can seat 484 passengers. In the densest, two-class configuration with business and economy only, Emirates A380s have capacity for 615 passengers.

Tough sell

Lufthansa has announced it's bringing its A380s back in 2023.

Lufthansa has announced it's bringing its A380s back in 2023.

Thomas Lohnes/Getty Images

There are several reasons why airlines are circling back to the superjumbo. "There's a lack of wide-body capacity, as some operators such as British Airways retired older airplanes like the Boeing 747. There have also been some production issues with the new A350 and so forth. So some airlines need the capacity," says Van Klaveren.

That's not all. For some airlines, putting the plane back into service makes sense because the value of the aircraft has fallen so much that it's no longer possible to sell them.

Related content

The last ever A380 superjumbo is delivered to Emirates

"Some operators have realized that it's a very difficult airplane to sell, for many different reasons. If you don't have any A380s you're definitely not going to bring it into your fleet, because that's very risky and expensive," says Van Klaveren.

"The value of a 10-year-old A380 fell 60% compared to pre-pandemic, to $30 million compared to around $76 million, which is quite extraordinary. So a lot of [airlines] think they might as well operate them, because it's costing them money to keep them airworthy."

Two airlines, Thai and Malaysia, have in fact put all of their A380s up for sale, but haven't found any buyers yet. The only other holdout so far is Etihad; the Abu Dhabi-based airline has 10 in its fleet, but isn't operating any and it currently has no firm plans to do so.

Shorter life

Emirates has recently launched a new A380 cabin including a premium economy class.

Emirates has recently launched a new A380 cabin including a premium economy class.

The Emirates Group

Compared to the gloomy predictions of two years ago, it might now be time to imagine a rosier future for the superjumbo.

"I think most of the airlines will continue to operate the planes to the end of their life," says Van Klaveren. "The question mark is whether that life is more like 18 years rather than 25 years, which is the lifetime of most aircraft. If you compare it to the new generation aircraft, it really is not particularly fuel efficient, so that would suggest that its average age will come down."

Because Emirates has so many A380s, the destiny of the plane will largely rest in its hands. "I think they will get them all flying again, because they're pretty critical for their business model," says Van Klaveren.

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Airbus A380: The wondrous giant that never quite took off

The Dubai-based airline continues to show enthusiastic support for the aircraft.

Tim Clark, Emirates' president, told AirlineRatings that once the A380 is gone, it will leave a void that can't be filled by any other aircraft currently in production: "I would build another A380 twice the size because of the zero-emissions engines we have now, with four, possibly three engines," he added.

For now, the A380 continues to be well received by customers across the globe and will remain the airline's flagship aircraft for many years to come, says Emirates' Richard Jewsbury.

"For us, the iconic double-decker redefines the travel experience and it will continue to be a vital pillar of our network plans."