Hasta luego: Airbus completes its Latin America tour

Airbus is wrapping up the A380’s Latin America tour, during which the 21st century flagship visited multiple cities and took part in the region’s largest air show to underscore its capabilities in meeting this dynamic marketplace’s evolving air transport requirements.

30 March 2012

During its circuit, the A380 demonstrator aircraft made appearances at Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro in Brazil, followed by a starring role in Chile’s FIDAE air show near Santiago.  The aircraft continued to Buenos Aires, Argentina today for a final stopover before returning to Airbus’ home base in Toulouse, France.

The multi-country visit included a flight from Sao Paolo for visiting airline pilots, compatibility evaluations at Rio de Janeiro’s Galeao-Antonio Carlos Jobim International Airport, the presence at Arturo Merino Benitez International Airport near Santiago for the FIDAE event, and the concluding landing at Buenos Aires’ Ezeiza International Airport.

Throughout its trip, the A380 was opened for visits, showing how such a demonstrator aircraft’s interior is configured for flight test and development activity. Guests also were treated to a new 3-D movie highlighting the A380’s cabin features and advanced technologies in an airline passenger configuration.

Latin America is an important air transport market, with 400-plus Airbus aircraft in operation with its carriers. As of February, more than 700 Airbus jetliners had been sold to customers in the Latin America/Caribbean region.

According to the latest Airbus Global Market Forecast, Latin America’s air traffic is expected to triple between 2011 and 2030 – creating the requirement for over 2,000 new aircraft with seating capacities of more than 100 passengers. This figure includes 41 very large aircraft in the category of Airbus’ A380.

Source and photo: Airbus