The A380 Is Just That Big

It's just what the world needed -- another dispute between the European Union and the US regarding airplane manufacturers. This time, however, the dispute doesn't center on government subsidies to manufacturers. It's all about the airplane -- the Airbus A380 -- itself and the wake it could generate while in flight, as well as the jet blast it could generate while on the ground.

At issue are international safety standards for both wake turbulence and ground maneuvering. The FAA has set up a working group charged with making recommendations to the ICAO on issues of traffic separation and ground maneuvering techniques. An FAA spokeswoman stressed that the US will not consider unilateral safeguards for the A380 outside of those imposed by the ICAO.

"The bigger the aircraft, the heavier it is and thus it is logical that turbulence could be more significant," an Airbus spokesman told AFX. The spokesman said the company has designed the plane "to minimize this effect."

The spokesman said the studies on A380 wake turbulence were just getting underway and were by no means complete.

FMI: www.airbus.com, www.icao.int, www.faa.gov