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The giant A380
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When passengers board the giant A380 aircraft at London's Heathrow for
the first time next year they will be leaving a noticeably different
airport.
In the biggest single change to operations since the Boeing 747 was
introduced in 1970, the airport is spending ￡450 million widening
taxiways, installing double-decker loading ramps and
upgrading immigration and baggage facilities.
The arrival of the world's largest passenger plane means airports like
Heathrow, already operating under congested conditions, are under pressure
to ensure they can turn around up to double the number of passengers from
a single aircraft in the same time.
Two huge air bridges, one of which is around eight storeys off the
ground, will connect the double-decker Airbus aircraft's 550 passengers
with the terminal building.
Like the plane's interior, everything in the terminal building will be
larger as well. Heathrow is building bigger lounges and extending baggage carousels to ensure passengers are
not delayed any longer than usual.
Heathrow will be in the first wave of major hubs hosting the A380 and
is racing against the clock to
prepare for its giant guest next year.
"This is a step change. The introduction of the A380 is going to have
the same impact on infrastructure and the industry overall as (did) the
747," said Eryl Smith, director of business strategy, planning and
development for Heathrow's owner, BAA Plc
Some airlines raised fears of other airports last year, particularly in
the United States, would not be ready for the A380 -- which is being
unveiled by maker Airbus at a ceremony in France on Tuesday.
However, Heathrow says its preparations remain on schedule despite the
huge investment.
Smith told reporters the spending included a 100 million pound
redevelopment of a pier in Terminal 3 -- where its first A380 customer,
Singapore Airlines, will start using the plane in 2006 -- and a ￡35
million expansion of the terminal's baggage reclaim hall.
Taxiways are also being widened and resurfaced, a challenge at an
airport, which is already operating at near peak capacity.
(Agencies) |
2006年，乘客们将首次在伦敦希思罗机场登上庞大的“空中客车”A380。届时，他们将发现机场面貌焕然一新。
从1970年引进波音747飞机至今，这将是规模最大的一次对机场营运系统进行单独改造的工程。希思罗机场计划投资4亿5千万英镑用于拓宽滑行道，安装双层装卸斜面台和改进入境办理及行李服务设施。
世界上最大的客机“空客”A380的到来对于希思罗这样早已拥挤不堪的机场来说是一大挑战，希思罗机场面临的压力是如何确保在相同时间内接待来自同一架飞机的、比以往多一倍的乘客。
届时两座巨大的天桥将把双层“空客”A380上的550名乘客和候机大厅连接起来，其中一座天桥离地面约有8层楼高。
和“空客”A380的内部结构一样，候机大楼的一切设施也将变得更大。希思罗机场正在建造更大的候机室并延长旋转式行李传送带，以确保乘客能像往常一样提取行李，不会耽搁更多时间。
希思罗机场将成为首批接待“空客”A380的主要空港之一，现在它正在抓紧时间进行准备工作，以便在明年迎接庞大的“贵宾”。
BBA公共股份有限公司商务战略计划发展部负责人艾尔·史密斯说：“这只是转变中的一步。正如当年的波音747，“空客”A380的到来不仅会给机场的基础设施而且会给整个航空行业带来巨大的影响。”BBA公共股份有限公司目前是希思罗机场的拥有者。
本周二（1月18日），“空中客车”公司在法国举行庆典时披露，去年就有航空公司对其他机场，尤其是美国的机场提出置疑，担心它们无法为A380的登陆做好准备。
尽管耗资巨大，希思罗机场方面表示其准备工作仍按计划进行中。
史密斯告诉记者说，改建费用中有1亿英镑用来重建3号候机大楼的登机口。新加坡航空公司将成为首位使用该设施的“顾客”，新加坡航空公司将于2006年开始采用A380飞机，此外还有3500万英镑用来扩建机场行李认领大厅。
拓宽滑行道和重铺路面的工程也正在进行中。这对于吞吐量已接近极限的希思罗机场来说也是一个挑战。
（中国日报网站译） |
Updated: 2005-01-19 10:50