The future of the A380 is in doubt after Airbus slashed the rate of production of the superjumbo for the second time in just over a year and signalled it was not optimistic about winning new orders in the short term. The decision to cut the rate to fewer than one a month will be seen by many in the industry as a sign that the programme, which has cost the group heavily in cost overruns and delays, may eventually be wound up. Airlines fear they will not be able to fill the huge aircraft, although passengers have consistently rated it a favourite when travelling. The A380 aircraft has not won a new order in more than 2 years and Airbus said only a year ago it would cut the production rate from 27 in 2015 to just 12 a year in 2018. Thomas Enders, CE of Airbus, said Thursday the rate would now come down further to 8 in 2019. <br/>
general
There was a golden age in commercial aviation when carriers opened the cockpit doors to those seeking a life in the skies – cadet programmes offered full training and a near-guarantee of a secure, lucrative and even glamorous future. Much has changed. Today, concerned pilots say, their work has been sharply undermined by deregulation. As the skies broadened to fleets of low-cost airlines and pilot numbers grew, employment conditions began to change. While many are still in secure well-paid jobs, young would-be pilots are increasingly worried about finding work after laying out enormous training fees. Some pay money to gain flight experience in commercial planes, while others sit in terminals on zero-hour contracts. <br/>
Airports could raise airline ticket fees for the first time since 2000 to generate an estimated US$3.2b per year for construction projects, under a bill a Senate panel approved Tuesday. But the airline industry strongly opposes the provision as a "secret tax hike" by raising the federal cap on so-called passenger facility charges from $4.50 to $8.50 per flight, or $34 for a connecting round-trip. The Senate legislation must still be reconciled with the House, which didn’t include a fee hike in its version of the bill. Airports have urged a hike in the fees as a way to fund construction projects such as improving terminals, with $100b in projects looming over the next 5 years. Without the increase, many airports say they have reached the limit on how much they can borrow through bonds. <br/>
London Heathrow could scrap plans for new terminal buildings serving its GBP16b (US$21b) third runway in favour of a phased expansion of existing infrastructure adding “5m passengers at a time,” according to CE John Holland-Kaye. The proposal would see incremental growth at Terminals 5 and 2, currently used by BA and Star Alliance carriers respectively, saving “several billion pounds” by doing away with new tunnels, passenger transportation and baggage systems, Holland-Kaye said Thursday. “It also means we can add capacity in smaller chunks, rather than building a whole new terminal for 20m or 30m passengers in one go,” he said. That way demand from airlines can be better matched to supply. Heathrow plans to fund a third runway from the private sector while keep landing charges close to current levels. <br/>