Airbus planning stretched A380

            The director of Airbus's A380 program has told an Australian television station that the company intends to build a stretched version of the world's largest airliner, adding about 100 seats. Richard Carcaillet told a local news channel the super super jumbo is an "environmentally more responsible" answer to airport congestion because it will enable fewer aircraft to serve the burgeoning demand for airline seats worldwide. "It is a way to grow without adding to congestion," he told the TV station. Airbus is planning first deliveries in 2020 according to the report.
            In the usual configuration mixing economy, business and ultra premium first class, the A380 now carries from 400 to 600 passengers but if it was set up for economy-only seating the stretched version could conceivably pack in more than 900 people. The technical details of how the increased capacity would be achieved were not discussed in the brief news report.