Qantas superjumbo causes a super headache at airport

[Bernie P]

Qantas superjumbo causes a super headache at airport
Scott Rochfort and Matt O'Sullivan
January 29, 2009

QANTAS'S A380 superjumbo has caused such a kerfuffle in Los Angeles that air traffic controllers have warned its arrival is creating tarmac gridlock at one of the world's busiest airports.

Even before Qantas's first A380 was grounded at Los Angeles on Tuesday for several hours due to a technical hitch, concerns had been raised the jet hampers operations there.

The Los Angeles Times reported the jet is so disruptive at the airport that service roads and taxiways are being shut when it arrives or departs. It reportedly requires an "official escort" of operational vehicles every time it taxis, and it disrupts the radio signals from the airport's instrument landing system.

Controllers say it is only because of the slump in air traffic since the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, that the airport can manage the A380.

"If we go back to pre-recession operations levels, the situation would be untenable. There would be gridlock," the airport representative for the National Air Traffic Controllers Association, Mike Foote, told the Times.

Airbus disputed the complaints. "If there is a problem at Los Angeles, and I don't know that there is, it seems that Los Angeles has a problem of their own making," an Airbus spokesman, Ted Porter, said.

A Qantas spokesman said the airline had been working with the airport for several months.

Source: - SMH

[Robert Zweck]

....heart skips a beat.....

For a moment there I thought Qantas were at fault.....

[Philip Argy]

What about "LAX can't handle big planes"?

[NickN]

What about "LAX can't handle big planes"?

Thats more the point. What a stupid idea blaming the operator.

[Krzysztof M]

Manufacturer rather.

[Philip Argy]

If they didn't want the A380 they could have saved themselves a lot of infrastructure upgrade expenditure. And if they do want it then they should have put in a bit more logistics planning effort.

What is going to happen when more airlines take their A380 to LAX (assuming they won't now change their plans to do so).

Hard to believe big planes are a problem in the country that invented upsizing!

[Mick F]

It's French, of course it's a problem for America. Bet if it was Boeing it wouldn't be a problem at all.

Mick

[Andrew McLaughlin]

Originally Posted by Mick F

It's French, of course it's a problem for America. Bet if it was Boeing it wouldn't be a problem at all.

Mick

Especially as a 747-400 takes up the same amount of space, and has similar issues with blocking the ILS signal when it passes the transmitter...!

[Shameel Kumar]

It reportedly requires an "official escort" of operational vehicles every time it taxis...

Ah, so that's what the escort of police-like vehicles was. Makes sense now. For a few moments I thought there may have been a police-related issue onboard as we arrived into LAX, but a closer look at the vehicle revealed they had 'LAX' signage.
Must be a real cozy job just sitting in a car and watching the A380 taxi to its gate.... donut and coffee in-hand. Here's a shot of one of the 'operationa escort vehicle's.

[Bob C]

THREE airlines are flying A380s into Heathow and Sydney will join that club on Monday when Emirates joins Singapore Airlines and QANTAS.

And A380s are apparently flying into several other airports without any problems so perhaps the fault lies with the LAX administrators.