That 6% burning issue about fuel

So where do you go to get the real story? As you may have read further below there are interesting numbers on fuel burn. The best place to go is an airline that has data from both planes because they bought both. So here is some data from the only airline that has done so - and look at that! The A380 has a 6% better fuel burn on a per passenger basis. Not our number, this is Lufthansa’s data. Link here and here.

Boeing has its data the other way around, their 747-8 has 16% lower burn than the 747-400 and 10% better than the A380. Airbus says a 405 seater 747-8 is 12% below a 747-400 (370 seats) and a 525 seater A380 is 17% lower (presumably Lufthansa configurations).

Since the OEM’s have an axe to grind, the Lufthansa data seems objective, wouldn’t you think? With the bad news about the A380, Airbus likely found this week’s US tour de force was a smart marketing move - its all you see on TV. Now this data point pops us. Maybe this will make a few more people think the A380 is a player, despite its birth pangs.