Airbus' A380 Completes Historic Flight

Filed in archive Aviation News on October 25, 2007

Aviation history was made today when Airbus' A380 completed its first commercial flight. Loaded with 455 passengers, the world's largest jetliner left from Singapore to Sydney.

According to the Yahoo! news article, some of the passengers paid tens of thousands of dollars in an online auction. One passenger paid a whooping $50,000 for two seats. For this, they were rewarded with champagne and certificates from the crew of 30, plus four pilots.

The double-decker A380 ends the nearly 37-year reign of the Boeing 747 jumbojet as the world's most spacious passenger plane. It European manufacturer, Airbus SAS, also claims that the A380 is the most fuel efficient and quietest passenger jet ever built.

It was delivered to singapore airlines on Oct. 15, nearly two years behind schedule after billions of dollars in cost overruns for Airbus. Still, the wait was worth it, says Singapore Airlines, which got the exclusivity of being the plane's sole operator for 10 months.

"This is indeed a new milestone in the timeline of aviation," said Chew Choon Seng, chief executive of Singapore Airlines, or SIA, in a speech before the departure.

The Boeing 747 jumbo jet generally carries about 400 passengers. The A380 - as tall as a seven-story building with each wing big enough to hold 70 cars - is capable of carrying 853 passengers in an all-economy class configuration.

However, Singapore Airlines opted for 471 seats in three classes - 12 Singapore Airlines Suites, 60 business class and 399 economy class.

Each suite, enclosed by sliding doors, is fitted with a leather upholstered seat, a table, a 23-inch flat screen TV, laptop connections and a range of office software. A separate bed folds up into the wall. Two of the suites can be joined to provide double beds, one of which the Elwoods occupied.

On the upper deck, business class seats can turn into wide flat beds, while the economy class seats on both decks have more leg and knee room, the carrier says. Business class passengers also have a bar area.