Quote:
Originally Posted by the Genral
So logistically is it going to be worth basically retrofitting the airport to accommodate the A380. I'm pretty sure the long runway can handle the weight since it did handle a 747 with a space shuttle on its back. But what about taxiway widths, longer and double stacked sky bridges and enough terminal space to handle 500 + passengers boarding and deboarding and getting them through customs. And what if the route fails or there is a downgrade to a 747 or 777? And I agree that aesthetically, it is not the most attractive plane in the sky, but it would look amazing at the airport just due to is sheer size.
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I'm pretty sure the runway is fine in terms of handling the A380, taxiways' would likely have to be widened and I believe the A380 required a specifically built A380 gate like the one pictures in the top here:
The terminal needs more space inside too, the current international side becomes a crowded mess when a 787 flies in, I can only imagine what would happen if an A380 did. I know the new terminal extension is wider than the old so we'll have to see. I have heard that there is the capacity of up to 600pax per hour at its current state, so it might just be enough. If ABIA goes through all the effort upgrading just to see the plane downgraded or the route disappear, that would be awful. I'm glad you and I have the same taste in aircraft, the Queen can never be replaced.
In other words, thanks to a link posted on a.net, I have found the outbound and inbound passenger between several Canadian cities and Austin for the year 2016, here they are.
- Toronto, 55,400 pax per year
- Vancouver, 26,030 pax per year
- Montréal, 18,690 pax per year
- Calgary, 11,980 pax per year
- Ottawa, 7,470 pax per year
- Edmonton, 4,000 pax per year
source
One could only assume these numbers will be up for 2017 once they are posted, makes me hope that Air Canada will link Montréal and Vancouver to Austin.