Tag: MD-12

A few weeks ago we talked about the Boeing 747. This week, it’s their rivals turn... with Air France announcing that all of their A380 will be retired by 2022.  The 747 is well known for its nickname ‘Queen of the Skies’ or the ‘Jumbo Jet’. But the A380 is much bigger than the 747, hence it was dubbed the ‘Superjumbo’ by the media. Airbus built the A380 as direct competition to the Boeing 747 monopoly. How was the A380 brought into being? Airbus saw that Boeing enjoyed a sort of monopoly with its 747. It was the only ultra-high capacity airliner (UHCA). Airbus tasked a team of engineers under the leadership of Jean Roeder to begin development in secret.  However, the A380 project had not been the first to attempt to challenge the 747. The MD-12 was. The MD-12 was a double deck aircraft th...