Sea-Tac Not Ready for A380

In mid-July, San Francisco International Airport (SFO) announced that it had acquired full airfield & terminal certification from the FAA to allow the Airbus A380 superjumbo aircraft to use the Bay Area facility. Sea-Tac Airport, which aspires to be a world-class airport, competing with New Denver and with airports in Los Angeles & the Bay Area, is not ready to handle the 380.

SFO expects the A380 to be operational in 2006, when Singapore Airlines (the launch customer for the 380) begins using it on flights between California & East Asia (probably to Seoul and Hong Kong). Los Angeles appears to be lagging behind SFO in its preparations, but management there is aware of the challenge.

The A380 has two passenger decks, & therefore will work most efficiently with special two-tier gangways – not to be found at Sea-Tac – and with two-level gate seating areas, also something not provided at Sea-Tac, or planned. The great wingspan of the plane requires wider gates. If not, each 380 will take up two gates. Sea-Tac has no such gates, & has no plans to provide them.

Major world airports (Frankfort, Paris, and of course SFO) are preparing for this aircraft with new, wider gates, & enhanced passenger facilities. One problem for Sea-Tac is that the existing area for international arrivals cannot possibly handle a full passenger complement for a 380. In a typical three-class conformation, the aircraft will seat 555 passengers.

At Frankfort, Terminal 2, which opened in October 1994, was designed from the outset to handle the A380 & other “New Generation Large Aircraft”. The terminal can handle five 380s and three B 747-400s simultaneously. The older Terminal 1 is to undergo minor modifications at two of its piers to accommodate the 380.

While the most easterly Sea-Tac runway, after a planned extension to 12,500 feet, will be long enough for the 380, the runway is not strong enough to accommodate routine traffic of this very heavy aircraft. (The final weight is in question, but will certainly exceed one million pounds, perhaps reaching 1,100,000 pounds.

How can Sea-Tac claim to be a world-class airport when it will not be able to handle world-class aircraft?

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