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Yahoo
4 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
The complex life cycle of giant aircraft – and why you might be better off in an older model
At 19, the world's oldest commercial A380 is hardly ancient but – in aircraft years – it's reached an age at which most large jets (the affectionate nickname for all wide, long bodied aircraft) retire to the great boneyards of the desert. Not this one though: after a five-year hiatus, it's back ploughing the skies for Emirates, according to The European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) says that most planes have a life cycle of around 25-30 years, but that includes a long period of research and development before their first commercial flights take off. If you find yourself on a comparatively ancient aircraft, don't worry: planes are subjected to frequent tests to ensure safety and usually retire because they become less commercially competitive rather than dangerous. A wide-body aircraft's journey involves a long period of incubation and subsequent nurturing before it can go out into the world. 'The journey from the design board to commercial service for a commercial aircraft is one of the most complex undertakings in modern industrial engineering,' says Linus Benjamin Bauer, founder and managing direction of the aviation consultancy BAA & Partners. 'Typically, the aircraft development programme takes up to 15 years to bring a new aircraft such as the A380 to market.' The original jumbo, Boeing's 747, was conceived in 1966 and began to fly commercially four years later thanks to tight deadlines imposed by its first purchaser, Pan Am. But, before paying passengers can get onboard, planes face 'initial conceptual studies, customer consultations, digital modelling, prototype development and regulatory certification,' according to Bauer. 'Certification itself is particularly rigorous,' he says. 'Manufacturers must demonstrate compliance with thousands of airworthiness requirements. Each new aircraft must pass a full-scale evacuation test – where all passengers must exit within 90 seconds using only half the available exits. Structural integrity is validated through static testing, where airframes are pushed 50 per cent beyond their design limits, and fatigue testing, which simulates decades of flight cycles.' These tests can make or break a plane's popularity: when they uncovered issues with weight in some of Boeing's earliest 787 aircraft (nicknamed the 'Terrible Teens'), the planes were rejected by airlines including All Nippon Airways and Royal Air Maroc, according to the website (though they now take to the skies with Ethiopian and Air Austral). The A380 also had a complicated conception. 'While technologically advanced, it was delayed by nearly two years due to a major production issue,' says Bauer. 'The wiring systems designed in Germany were incompatible with the French-built fuselage sections because they used different 3D modelling software versions. This misalignment triggered an expensive and [potentially] reputationally damaging cascade of redesigns.' Running costs affect the lifespan of an aircraft, as well as advancing technology and trends. The A380 is a hulk of a plane and its days have long been numbered, thanks to expenses linked to its size. In 2021, Emirates, the biggest fan of the aircraft with 121 in its fleet, took delivery of the last one ever made. It meant that the A380 had a much shorter run than the 747, which only went out of production in 2022, after more than five decades. Born out of a desire to fit more passengers into the cabin and raise per-seat profits, the 747 has been a huge success, with no competitors to match it in terms of seat capacity until the A380 came along 37 years later. Both aircraft continue to fly, with Forbes claiming there are 400 747s still in service (almost double the amount of A380s ever made). Keeping older planes going requires meticulous maintenance and careful piloting. New tech is retro-fitted and they often have makeovers to bring their cabins or liveries up to date too: in May 2025, Korean Air unveiled a 747-8i sporting its smart new blue look and logo. 'Over the course of a jet's life, it will undergo extensive maintenance and repair, but these do not imply degradation in safety,' says Bauer. 'On the contrary, aircraft become more stringently monitored as they age. Airlines conduct daily line checks, periodic A- and B-checks, and deep-dive C- and D-checks where the aircraft is virtually dismantled, inspected, and rebuilt every six to ten years. Engines are overhauled or replaced, flight control systems updated, and any structural fatigue is carefully monitored using non-destructive testing techniques. Safety margins remain extremely high, and ageing aircraft are continuously evaluated under regulatory oversight from authorities such as the Federal Aviation Authority and EASA.' But the shadow of retirement always lingers, because aircraft manufacturers are endlessly innovating to make their products lighter and more sustainable. It's been impossible to fly from the UK in a 747 since 2020, when both BA and Virgin Atlantic retired theirs (hop to Frankfurt, however, and you can board a Lufthansa 747-8 to one of 12 destinations, including Tokyo Haneda, Buenos Aires and Newark). President Trump also travels on the two, heavily customised 747s in the Air Force One fleet, and was recently gifted another one by the Qatari government. It will, however, require a bit of retrofitting if it is to serve in the fleet. 'The President and his travel companions enjoy 4,000 square feet of floor space on three levels, including an extensive suite for the President that features a large office, lavatory, and conference room. Air Force One includes a medical suite that can function as an operating room, and a doctor is permanently on board,' the White House website reveals. For normal passengers, A380s remain attractive: roomy, with a smooth ride, they're renowned for being comfortable on long-haul journeys while their First Class and Business cabins have space for plenty of onboard luxuries. There are even proper showers on some Emirates' A380s – which goes some way to explain the reluctance to decommission them by some airlines, despite 787s and A350s being more economical. In 2024, IATA revealed that the average age of a commercial aircraft was 14 years and 10 months, and the EASA states that almost a third of all of Europe's planes are due to be retired in the next decade. The lucky ones will live out their days in aerospace museums such as Paris's Musée de l'Air et de l'Espace in Paris Le Bourget. Others are dismantled so that approved working parts can be reused, and some cabin furniture finds its way into films and TV shows, offices and even homes. Much of what can't be reused, including titanium, aluminium and rubber, can be recycled, though about 15 per cent of waste ends up in landfill, according to the EASA. Among the retirees, there are bound to be more A380s and 747s because, in 2026, another giant is expected on the scene: the 777-9. Longer even than the 747-8, with the largest engines of any passenger plane, it should still cut fuel consumption by 10 per cent and has been ordered by British Airways, Singapore Airlines, Emirates and Lufthansa amongst others. 'The aircraft features new carbon-fibre composite wings, advanced GE9X engines, and a reimagined passenger cabin,' says Bauer. 'From my point of view, the 777X will effectively mark the end of the 747 in passenger service. While some 747-8is may remain in limited use, and freighter versions will continue for years due to their payload advantages, the age of four-engine passenger aircraft is over. It is not sentiment but economics – as well as evolving regulation on noise, emissions, and sustainability – that has redrawn the map. In this new landscape, efficiency, not size, is king.' Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
India Today
20-05-2025
- Politics
- India Today
Rajiv Gandhi: Snuffed out in his prime
(NOTE: This article was originally published in the India Today issue dated June 15, 1991)Rainbow mouth. Smiling eyes. Now, face flung downwards, lying amidst a mangled heap of bodies. A shattered wife sobbing into her dupatta. A grieving son and daughter hugging each other for comfort. Sonia, Rahul and Priyanka clinging together as the bugles sounded the last post and flames consumed the were the images that remained on May 24, 1991, 5.26 p.m., as funeral flames leapt upwards searing into the nation's memory the beginning of the end of another cycle in India's timelessly churning wheel of vicissitudes. A distraught but outwardly stoic Rahul lighting his father's pyre, stepping back to clutch his mother's of "Rajiv Gandhi amar rahe". Heads of state. Dignitaries. Dan Quayle. Nawaz Sharif. Prince Charles. Benazir Bhutto. Friends and mourners dressed in black suits and ties, kurtas and dhoties. Frail, slumped, dressed-in-stark-white Sonia, resting her tired face on the shoulders of her son.A stunned nation pinching itself again and again, glued to its TV sets. Rahul loosening the strings of the white sheet that tied the body to the bier. Priyanka all grit and determination, but the anguish showing in the way she nervously tugs her hair behind her ears and gently encircles her mother in her arms. Difficult, after all, to see the fire lap up her father's body. Reaching out for her mother's arm from behind to put it around her own waist. Sonia's silent tears behind her sunglasses. The mother in her turning to Gautam Kaul, a relative, to plead: "Please help Rahul."advertisementOnly six and a half years ago, Rahul, then 14, had sobbed while he'd watched his father perform the last rites for his grandmother's cremation. And here he was with the help of his sister, placing sandalwood logs on the pyre, pouring oil on the body that had disappeared into the logs, walking round it seven times and finally setting it French-built Ecrueil helicopter, flying low over Shakti Sthal, raining rose petals, signalled the arrival of the cortege. Ironically, it was the same helicopter which used to announce Rajiv Gandhi's arrival for election meetings when people would spot it and say: "Aa gaye, aa gaye."This time a gloomy silence descended on Shakti Sthal as Sonia walked fast to keep pace with the casket resting on the shoulders of Rahul and the three service chiefs. The sun blazed down on the tricolour as birds circled the sky and the SPG personnel took positions around the samadhi.A disbelieving nation had awakened to the news of the assassination on May 22 and sought answers to questions: Who killed him? And why? He was not even in power. There was no immediate provocation. Disbelief soon gave way to dismay and 10, Janpath, shocked officials received the news of a bomb explosion at Rajiv Gandhi's meeting as early as 10.30 p.m., within 15 minutes of the occurrence, but the office wasn't sure of the death. Vincent George, Rajiv's secretary, informed Sonia that there had been a blast at Rajiv's meeting at pilot, who'd flown the campaign Kingair from Visakhapatnam to Madras, was assigned the painful duty to fly it back too. To the crew every little thing—the pen, manuals and headset—lying in the cockpit, reminded them of Rajiv who had always flown the to midnight, George, M.L. Fotedar and Satish Sharma who'd already reached 10, Janpath, confirmed the death to a dazed Priyanka. Priyanka told Sonia. She was the last to know—at 11.35 p.m. Priyanka immediately took charge seeing that no one entered Sonia's room. That's where she took refuge and gave in to tears, coming back outside, her swollen eyes masked by dark that morning Sonia had returned from Amethi, after a gruelling campaign there and had spoken to Rajiv on the phone. He called the family each night from wherever he was halting, whatever the time. Now, Sonia immediately asked to go to Madras, to be by her husband's side who at that moment was lying under the gaze of the doctors at the General Hospital, the team struggling to suture a body that was badly entry in the hospital's mortuary register reads: "No. 390 - Rajeeve Gandhi, Bham expolotion, P.M. (postmortem) conducted at 1.30 a.m." Not surprising that the family was unhappy with the arrangements made. Even the doctors were amazed that the body was taken to the government hospital's morgue where the post-mortem was done late at night with just one bulb lighting up the as the post-mortem was being conducted, Sonia, Priyanka and R.K. Dhawan boarded the IAF plane for Madras while a riotous mob gathered outside 10, Janpath. Not sure of who had killed their leader, they shouted slogans against Chandra Shekhar, V.P. Singh and L.K. were beaten up and the President's car stoned. "Burn the BJP office," suggested one. The crowd of about 200 moved towards Ashoka Road and coming upon Ram Vilas Paswan's house, set fire to its MPs tried in vain to get into the Gandhis' house. Close friend Arun Singh, who had severed ties with Rajiv following the Bofors controversy, waited for half an hour but had to turn back, while his estranged wife Nina Singh spotted Satish Sharma's car and tried jumping into it, to be told by him: "I need to get in and you need to get out." The security guards were too scared to let anybody in. Only, there was little left to body lay at the old airport terminal at Meenambakkam, where the security staff cordoned off the building as the crowd was slowly swelling. The body was brought in a makeshift coffin—a wooden packing case, which was later used to carry the security officer P.K. Gupta's body to Delhi. "We are arranging to lift the body before daybreak to avoid any complications," said a visibly moved special IAF flight touched down at Meenambakkam at 4.20 a.m. A shattered Sonia sobbed silently as Priyanka, tears running down her cheeks, clung on to her. Sonia was met by longstanding friend Suman Dubey who had been walking 20 paces behind Rajiv at Sriperumbudur, when he heard what everyone else too thought was a loud cracker being told by The New York Times' Barbara Crossette, who was travelling in the same car as Rajiv, that it could be a bomb, he stopped in his tracks. As he describes it: "I saw, what appeared to be in slow motion, bodies and limbs flying all over the place. Then, everything looked just grey."advertisementDubey walked past the bodies, looking for his friend, who he hoped feverishly had reached the dais and escaped the catastrophe. Not finding him there, he looked around thinking that Rajiv had been whisked away by the security officials but was called back to the spot where Rajya Sabha member Jayanti Natarajan was leaning forward. She had by then recognised Rajiv's body from the back of his head, and the white Lotto shoes he was body, by now placed in a proper coffin, was taken into the plane and placed beside Sonia and Priyanka. Weeping inconsolably, Sonia placed a white garland on her husband's coffin, and cupped her mouth into her white dupattaas Dubey and Priyanka tried to console her. She who had cradled the bullet-riddled body of her mother-in-law in her was to be among the last of Rajiv's campaign trips. Only one trip to Uttar Pradesh remained and just that morning Rajiv, in the cockpit of the plane, had told his pilot that they all deserved to take a holiday as they'd all worked very first rays of dawn broke over Madras as the plane took off and Sonia closed her eyes as if deep in memory. Priyanka, till then a source of strength for her mother, hugged her father's coffin and cried. They were sitting behind a curtained area, away from the public eye that keeps one from openly venting one's also was the nation as a thick cloud of gloom descended on the country. Life ground to a standstill, even chai and cigarette shops downing their shutters. Fear gripped the capital as memories of the riots that followed Mrs Gandhi's assassination came rushing back. Sikhs stayed indoors, as did others, unsure of what turn this assassination would country witnessed a complete bandh as the police swept into action, making tight arrangements in their states to keep law and order under control. In parts of Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat, Congress(I) functionaries clashed with BJP workers and roamed the streets, tearing BJP posters and claimed eight deaths in the violence that broke out the day following the assassination as frenzied mobs took to the streets, damaging public property. Incensed workers attacked the office of the DMK paper, Murasoli. In Hyderabad, angry mobs set buses on fire and attacked the cinema halls and property owned by N.T. Rama Rao's family. In contrast, an eerie silence descended over Bombay, the city of Rajiv's birth. Commented a housewife: "You could hear only crows throughout the day."A deathly silence gripped the people of Amethi as its people refused to believe the nightmarish news. Chabban, a truck driver of Jagdishpur, flung his datoon (twig toothbrush) and ran to the main road in search of a newspaper repeating: "Jagdishpur bewaa ho gaya" (Jagdishpur has been widowed). People satin clusters, wooden-faced and statue-like, uttering only two words: "Hey bhagwan, hey bhagwan."The IAF plane carrying the body landed at Delhi at 8.40 in the morning. Sonia was not the only one crying. Tears rolled down the faces of President R. Venkataraman and his wife as the coffin was brought down from the plane. Sonia and Priyanka climbed into the ambulance as the President and the vice-president laid wreaths on the airport wore a deserted look. The body had arrived almost two hours in advance and was driven straight to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences where the doctors struggled unsuccessfully to restructure his face but gave up for there was just a gaping hole stuffed with cotton wool and hours later, Rajiv was taken back home where close friends and family filed past the body showering rose petals. The ice was beginning to melt, as water dripped out from the sides, wetting the petals. A dazed Sonia, bathed and draped in a pure white sari, sat at the head, her hands nervously knotted before 1 o'clock, when the body was to be taken to Teen Murti Bhavan, where it lay in state for two days, Sonia requested that she be left alone. Dhawan politely asked the people in the room to leave and drawing the curtains closed the doors, leaving Sonia and Priyanka alone for five minutes. This was the last time that Rajiv was leaving the behind the pall-bearers, a lady rushed forward, reminding Sonia to wear her shoes. Looking around and not finding them she said, "doesn't matter", and walked out of the house where an attendant was waiting with her shoes. Quickly slipping into them, she looked for Priyanka and holding her hand went back into the previous night, while leaving for Madras, the only time she'd thought of herself was when she looked for her high-heeled shoes—she can only wear heels as her feet are arched, making it painful to walk otherwise. And now suddenly, it didn't matter if the shoes could be found or not. The ambulance left the house and a Sewa Dal woman broke down saying: "The neighbour's (Hari Krishna Shastri) dog has been wailing for the past five days. Now I know why."At Teen Murti, where Rajiv had spent most of his childhood, playing in its sprawling lawns, Sonia sat solemnly beside the body, wincing each time the sheets were lifted to insert more ice. Her hand outstretched, her pained face pleaded: "Careful. Please don't hurt him." She seemed to find peace only while sitting near the seldom went home to rest, occasionally sipping cups of coffee offered by friends. "But don't get it from 10, Janpath. Wahan chullah nahin jal raha hai (The cooking fire is unlit there)," she said. The thought of food made her nauseous. She didn't eat for four long days, only forcing sips of water, lime juice and coffee down her throat. The periodic bouts of asthma that plague her returned, forcing her to take fire didn't burn in the kitchen till after the funeral as Priyanka took charge, ensuring that the house at least did not take on a dishevelled look. She reminded many of Mrs Gandhi in the manner in which she took over responsibility, going to the airport with Amitabh Bachchan to receive Rahul and then to Shakti Sthal, to oversee preparations for the who'd flown in from Harvard, where he is studying international politics, stayed the longest beside his father's body, sitting there even after his mother and sister had gone. Outside the queue of mourners lengthened into the setting sun, as they waited patiently, while still others beat their chests and wept, the questions the same: Why him? He didn't deserve to go this way. A stream of VIPs alighted at the side entrance as politicians and film stars jockeyed to get last journey, from Teen Murti to Shakti Sthal began amidst loud wails and slogans of "Rahul, Priyanka turn mat ghabrana, tumhare peechhe hai sara zamana" (Don't worry, Rahul, Priyanka. The whole country is standing by you). The cortege wound its way through a city still spattered with election posters of Rajiv smiling back at the a tulsi mala on the pyre, her last gift to her husband, Sonia and the children left Shakti Sthal, as they were virtually mobbed by the hundreds who clamoured onto the samadhi. Leaving Rajiv Gandhi to rest, a few yards away from his mother's to India Today MagazineMust Watch
Business Recorder
07-05-2025
- Politics
- Business Recorder
French official confirms Pakistan downed at least one Indian Rafale jet
A high-ranking French intelligence official disclosed to CNN on Wednesday that Pakistan had successfully downed an Indian Air Force Rafale jet, in what would be the first combat loss of the sophisticated French-built warplane. The revelation comes hours after Pakistan's military claimed to have destroyed five Indian jets, including at least three Rafale, during an intense overnight engagement near the disputed Kashmir region. The French official stated that authorities were still 'examining possible further losses' but confirmed one Rafale had been struck by Pakistani forces. India has yet to officially acknowledge the loss of any aircraft, though social media footage geolocated near the Line of Control (LoC) showed wreckage resembling advanced fighter components. The incident marks a significant escalation in the already volatile standoff between New Delhi and Islamabad, which has been simmering since last month's deadly Pahalgam attack. More to follow
Euronews
28-04-2025
- Business
- Euronews
India signs deal with France to buy 26 Rafale fighter jets for navy
ADVERTISEMENT India has agreed to purchase 26 Rafale fighter jets for its navy from France, the Indian defence ministry announced on Monday, strengthening the country's naval aviation capabilities as it continues to modernise its armed forces. According to an official statement from New Delhi, the contract is valued at around €6.5 billion. No French sources had publicly commented by Monday midday. The deal expands India's existing Rafale fleet, following a 2016 agreement for 36 of the French-built aircraft. That earlier deal, worth nearly €8 billion, remains the most expensive contract secured by France's military aviation industry to date. Manufactured by Dassault Aviation, the Rafale is a multirole fighter capable of air defence, reconnaissance and strike missions. It also forms part of France's nuclear deterrent capability. Related Two French fighter pilots killed after Rafale jets collide mid-training India agrees to buy French Rafale fighters The French Navy has operated carrier-based Rafales since 2004, with the French Air Force bringing the jets into service two years later. France's military currently operates 165 Rafales, including 41 carrier variants. Since 2015, the Rafale has become a major export success for France, with 285 aircraft sold to countries including Qatar, Egypt, Greece, the United Arab Emirates, Indonesia and Croatia.
Yahoo
05-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Puerto Rico Pays More For American Energy Than Its Neighbor
Crowley Maritime, an American shipping company, recently announced that it raised the U.S. flag on a 31-year-old French-built LNG carrier to comply with the Jones Act—a 100-year-old law—finally allowing for U.S. LNG to be shipped from the U.S. mainland to Puerto Rico through a loophole in the protectionist law. Over 100 years ago, Congress passed the Merchant Marine Act of 1920, better known as the Jones Act, requiring all goods transported between U.S. ports to be carried on ships that are built in the United States, owned by U.S. citizens, crewed by Americans, and flagged under the United States. While support for the Jones Act was built on maintaining a strong U.S. maritime industry and protecting national security, it has failed to live up to these promises. Due to absurdly strict requirements, the Jones Act increases the cost of shipping and ship manufacturing by limiting competition in domestic markets and even inspiring collusion. These inflated costs have historically made it impossible for Puerto Rico to import LNG from the United States. Unlike the mainland, Puerto Rico can't import LNG via trucking or rail and must instead import LNG using Jones Act carriers (which, until recently, didn't exist). There is, however, a minor workaround. The U.S. Coast Guard Authorization Act of 1996 grants coastwise authorization (which is required for transportation of U.S. LNG to Puerto Rico) to foreign ships built before October 19, 1996, so long as they meet the remaining Jones Act requirements. This technical exception allowed Crowley Maritime's recently purchased American Energy, an LNG carrier built in France in 1994, to finally start supplying LNG to Puerto Rico. This technicality offers a raindrop of relief to Puerto Rico, but it does little to address the financial costs of the Jones Act. While Puerto Rico's economy is strangled by inflated costs because of the Jones Act, the Dominican Republic is free from its restrictions, and it imports U.S. LNG at a fraction of the cost. Global markets are much more competitive and have access to modern, efficient LNG carriers. As a result, shipping prices are dramatically cheaper. In the most recent Maritime Administration operating cost report, it was revealed that "U.S.-flag crewing costs were roughly 5.3 times higher than foreign-flag vessels in 2010" and a recent post on X by Sen. Mark Kelly (D–Ariz.) shows that the cost of operating a U.S. flagged vessel is 4.3 times higher than foreign ships—$8.5 million more. The Dominican Republic is able to use more efficient and cheaper foreign LNG carriers that have had transportation prices as low as $3,500 per day in 2025. Even their most recent estimated operating costs of $15,000 per day pale in comparison to the estimated $64,500 per day in operating costs alone for the U.S.-flagged LNG carrier. Puerto Rico is also forced to pay more for the product itself as a result of the Jones Act. A 2020 contract between the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority (PREPA) and Naturgy (a major energy company in Puerto Rico) includes a provision that states, "If the Jones Act is repealed, or amended such that it does not apply to shipping LNG from the US mainland to Puerto Rico, or a waiver of the Jones Act is granted that permits shipping from the US mainland to Puerto Rico without complying with the Jones Act," would result in an 8 percent unit price reduction. Crowley's new ship is not a long-term solution. The vessel is old, has a smaller than average shipping capacity, and is only Jones Act-approved because of a loophole. This is not innovation; it's desperation and it shows to what extent Puerto Rico has to go to receive relatively cheap American energy. Rather than modernizing our maritime fleet to be competitive on a global scale, we're instead buying unwanted vessels from other countries and celebrating them as innovative solutions. In truth, American Energy is a reminder that the United States citizens in Puerto Rico are being exploited because of a century-old law that has done nothing good for us. The problem is the Jones Act, and the answer is repealing it. It's time to stop patching holes in a sinking ship. The Jones Act is a policy failure that has harmed the people of Puerto Rico for over a century. The truth is that Puerto Rico should not have to rely on legal loopholes to access American goods. Foreign nations should not have cheaper access to American products just because they aren't bound by U.S. laws. Repealing the Jones Act isn't radical—it's necessary, and it provides immediate benefit to the Americans in Puerto Rico. The post Puerto Rico Pays More For American Energy Than Its Neighbor appeared first on
