Ceremonies have taken place in Toulouse in France to unveil the world's biggest passenger aircraft, the Airbus A380.
French, British, German and Spanish leaders representing the countries involved in the Airbus consortium saw the double-decker aircraft in Airbus colours for the first time.
The Airbus can carry up to 800 passengers and aims to compete with the world's most successful long haul carrier, the Boeing 747 jumbo jet. The company claims it will be cheaper to operate than the 747.
The A380 is an enormous undertaking: a €15bn industrial project employing close to 100,000 people.
Airbus says passenger growth and restrictions on the number of takeoff and landing slots at airports means there is a need for bigger planes for long haul routes.
Airbus has overtaken Boeing to become the world's number one passenger plane maker.
It needs to sell 250 of the A380 to break even on the project, and already has firm orders for 140.
The maiden flight is expected within six weeks, and Singapore Airlines is due to take delivery of the first commercial version next year.
