Genesis of a giant: the first seeds of the concept that would eventually evolve into the A380 were sown in the late 1980s.(SPECIAL REPORT) From: Interavia Business & Technology | Date: March 22, 2005| Author: Cochennec, Yann | COPYRIGHT 2005 Aerospace Media Publishing. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan.  All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group.Copyright information

It's June 1987, on the eve of the Paris Air Show. The A320 is poised to make its Paris debut, while Boeing is set to launch the 737-500, but the European consortium already harbours ambitions reaching well beyond the single-aisle segment. Governments in Bonn, Paris and London have just approved the funding needed to launch the A330/340 programme, propelling Airbus firmly into the long-haul market where it faces the daunting task of challenging the two incumbents, McDonnell Douglas ...