The Airbus A380 superjumbo, the world’s largest passenger plane, is reportedly all set to get even bigger. The four-engine aircraft currently admeasures 262 feet, and this is soon expected to grow by 32 feet by expanding the wingspan.

The European manufacturer aims to reduce drag and boost efficiency by adding curved extensions to the plane based on intense research. The addition of winglets could help enhance efficiency and lessen drag by around 4%.
It is not likely that the new extension would translate into a new model of the plane. The manufacturer reiterates the possibility of an add-on extension for interested airlines.
Fabrice Bregier, Airbus President, said they would not launch an A380Neo as there was no business case for that. He added that it would not prevent them from looking at what could be done to improve the aircraft’s performance. Having more efficiency from the engines was an option, and bringing in new winglets was a good prospect.
Didier Evrard, Airbus commercial programs chief said that to make A380 more efficient; there were studies into the technological advancements for winglets. He added that for almost 10 or 15 years, they could not design winglets with the right balance or drag.
In 2000, the first A380 was reported to have debuted, and the first flight came in 2005. Singapore Airlines took the plane in 2007 for its first commercial flight with passengers.
The gigantic plane has an exclusive double-decker layout with the capacity to seat 525 passengers, which can reportedly increase to 853 passengers on an all-economy seating plane. The manufacturer is considering new ways of making the giant plane more enticing for airlines and currently costs $432.6 million.