Flashback to January 2005

On January 18, 2005, the world was shown the future of air travel – created with the help of Shropshire expertise.

Airbus unveiled its huge 555-seater A380 superjumbo for the first time, the world's biggest passenger aircraft which would herald a transport revolution.

That, at least, was the expectation, although as we now know it didn't happen quite like that. The A380 proved a wonderful technological achievement, and has been popular with passengers. For those able to fork out a first class fare, it offers extraordinary aerial luxury.

Yet ultimately the A380 turned out to be the right aircraft in the wrong era.

While the plane will be in the skies for years to come, this year sees Airbus calling a halt to its production.

Some airlines are removing the A380 from their fleets, and the early retirement of the type has been accelerated by the drastic reduction in air traffic caused by the coronavirus pandemic.

It is an airborne giant with a double-decker passenger layout giving it a striking appearance which turns heads.

But let's turn back the clock to that January 2005 launch, which was a spectacular event in Toulouse, France, in front of Prime Minister Tony Blair and other political leaders.

After a spectacular show, a group of children pulled a giant white cord and screens came down to reveal the plane. The 4,500 guests burst into applause as they saw the huge aircraft with its 262ft wingspan.

Mr Blair said: “This is the most exciting new aircraft in the world. I feel tremendously proud of the British contribution and also proud of the way that all the European countries have come together on this project.

“This is British industry working at its best and European co-operation working at its best. We should be proud of what has been achieved.”

He added that 20,000 staff in the UK were involved in the project, which would help create 100,000 UK jobs and bring in billions of pounds in exports.

Many key components of the plane – considered the most important passenger aircraft design since the original jumbo jet, the Boeing 747 – were manufactured by engineering firm Doncasters, with one of its main manufacturing centres at the iconic former Sentinel Works in Whitchurch Road, Shrewsbury.

At the time Eric Lewis, Doncasters' CEO, said components had been manufactured at the company’s operations in both the UK and mainland Europe, including the Shrewsbury site.

Doncasters had supplied parts for the wings, which were sent to the wing-build facility at Broughton, North Wales, as well as for the braking system, the rear pylon fairing and the Rolls-Royce Trent 900 engine.

Some of those components had been manufactured at Doncasters’ factory at the former Vickers Aerospace Components site.

The Airbus contract was one of a number of new deals which had helped create 40 new jobs at Doncasters’ Shrewsbury base, following a £6 million investment in the site.

“The Doncasters Group is proud to be involved in the groundbreaking Airbus A380," he said.

“We have manufactured and supplied a number of different parts through our sites in the UK and Europe, including the Shrewsbury facility.”

The A380 entered service in 2007 and airlines including British Airways, Air France, and Lufthansa chose it to operate on their key high capacity long-haul routes.

So what has gone wrong? Part of the problem has been the unique selling point of the aircraft, its size. The massive seating capacity means that it needs to be used on routes which will fill the plane up. Destination airports also need the infrastructure to deal with such a large plane. Those factors place limitations on the flexibility of use of the A380. Airlines today want aircraft which can fly with smaller numbers of passengers direct to smaller airports. According to one airlines boss it is cheaper to operate two Boeing 787 Dreamliners than one A380.

There has also been a general trend towards more efficient twin-engined airliners. The A380 has four engines.

The aircraft still has a great champion in Emirates. That airline will take delivery of the world's last ever Airbus in May 2022.

Emirates president Sir Tim Clark is optimistic that the advent of Covid-19 vaccines will see a big bounceback for air travel.

As for Doncasters, that is now called Radius Aerospace following a takeover just over a year ago. Radius Aerospace, a portfolio company of private equity firm Arlington Capital Partners, acquired the Doncasters Group's aerospace forming and fabricating business in Shrewsbury and Sheffield.

The firm's website declares: "The Shrewsbury facility is a leading manufacturer of aircraft engine and industrial gas turbine, machined and fabricated casings, machined rings, compressor blades, turbine vanes, combustion liners and complex fabricated assemblies.

"The multi-skilled workforce excels in fabrication and forming processes to producing complex aerospace and industrial gas turbine assemblies."