Even as it ponders the fate of its flagship A380 airliner, Airbus has reportedly filed patent applicationsfor an even larger design. Airbus hasn’t had a new order for the A380 in more than a year and now there are at least three used super jumbos on the market, further diluting the already-rarified market. That apparently hasn’t stopped the company from thinking even bigger with a double-decked behemoth that suggests a passenger capacity of more than 900. The A380 could theoretically hold 853 passengers in an all-economy configuration but most airlines order less than 600 seats in three or more classes.
The patent documents offer only rough drawings of what the aircraft might look like and show a high-wing configuration with two enormous turbofans on the wings. It also proposes a low-wing design with tail-mounted engines. Among the innovations proposed for the cabin is a system of folding seats allowing flexible interior configuration. It’s not clear at what stage the development of the aircraft is in or whether it’s related to recent discussions about building a stretched version of the A380.
