Skyfall: An A380 Story.
In the 1970s, when Boeing awed the world of aviation with its giant, the 747, it was the beginning of a revolution in the skies. The Boeing 747, billed the ‘Jumbo Jet’ with its swollen head design, became an instant celebrity and media darling and Boeing’s order book began to fill up. Despite its massive size, high operating cost and below average fuel efficiency, airlines lapped it up as it could carry as many as double the passengers as some of the smaller aircraft in their fleets. The 747, at that time, could access only a handful of airports around the globe but more and more airports were expanding their infrastructure, even as they recognized the aircraft’s popularity with airlines from different parts of the globe. In fact, one of the many reasons behind Singapore Airlines’ popularity was the large number of 747s or ‘Megatops’ in its fleet. Over the course of the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s, oil prices began an upward trend following the Yom Kippur War and with the Cold War an