Because of the shape of an A380 wing, a supercritical design, with a slightly curved upper surface, airflow over the top of the wing can achieve supersonic or supercritical flow before the entire aircraft goes supersonic.
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On 1 December 2005, the A380 achieved its maximum design speed of Mach 0.96, (its design cruise speed is Mach 0.85) in a shallow dive.
The Airbus A380 can reach speeds of more than 1,000 kilometres per hour! Now the Boeing 787 Dreamliner (907 km/h) and Boeing 777 (905 km/h) aren't that fast, but still three times faster than a Formula 1 racing car. See below the speeds of the most common aircraft on Schiphol.
An A380 crosses the landing threshold at a docile 140 knots and touches down, depending on its landing weight, at a speed as slow as 130 knots, about the same touchdown speed of some corporate jets that weigh 1/50th as much as the world's biggest airliner.
Currently, the world's biggest international airline has on order 50 A350-900s, 30 787-9s and 115 Boeing 777Xs. The airline operates 119 A380s, 123 Boeing 777-300ERs and 10 Boeing 777-200LRs. The 777X aircraft will replace the A380s, while the A350s and 787s will eventually replace the 777s.
On the whole, flying an A380 with the power of just one engine seems a precarious prospect. Indeed, even flying the A380 under the power of two engines is something that Federal Aviation Regulations state should only be done in extreme cases.
With the rise of low-cost carriers and point-to-point travel, smaller planes that can fly to more destinations are becoming more popular. As a result, airlines are retiring their A380s and replacing them with smaller, more versatile aircraft.
However, upon the completion of the test, the aircraft entered a shallow dive and started picking up speed, before breaking the sound barrier at approximately 10,000 meters (33,000 feet).
A1: The Airbus A380 has an excellent safety record and is considered one of the safest aircraft in the world. Since its introduction in 2007, there have been no fatal accidents involving the aircraft.