Airbus carries passengers, economic growth

The world’s largest passenger plane — the Airbus A380, carrying more than 500 passengers — touched down on U.S. soil for the first time on Monday, March 19 as part of a route-proving test by Lufthansa and Airbus.
Port Authority Chairman Anthony R. Coscia, Executive Director Anthony E. Shorris and officials from Lufthansa and Airbus greeted the aircraft, which boasts a 262-foot wingspan and weighs about 1.25 million pounds fully loaded.
In the first full year of A380 service at JFK, the aircraft’s operations are estimated to generate $82 million in economic activity, approximately $32 million in payroll, and roughly 1,040 full-time jobs.
“We’re very pleased to host the U.S. debut of the A380,” said Shorris. “It’s fitting that the A380 should come to Kennedy Airport, which has been our country’s premier international gateway for more than half a century and now is clearly positioned to lead us far into the future as well. We’ve put $179 million into JFK to prepare for the A380 and other new large aircraft, and now we expect our investment to pay dividends for our passengers, and for the region in jobs, economic growth, and quieter, cleaner skies.”
Port Authority forecasts call for A380 service to build gradually as more airlines introduce the new aircraft into their fleets. By 2015, the aircraft’s operations will create the capacity to carry about 2.5 million passengers per year to and from our region, along with thousands of tons of cargo. The additional capacity afforded by new large aircraft such as the A380 will help the Port Authority meet growing demand at its airports with the added benefit of helping to reduce congestion. In 2002, Kennedy, Newark and LaGuardia airports handled a combined 81.1 million passengers. In 2006, the total increased by more than 25 percent, to 104.1 million passengers.