The world's biggest passenger aircraft - the Airbus A380 - was unveiled to the public today. The ceremony at the Airbus factory in Toulouse was attended by the President of France and the prime ministers of Britain, Germany and Spain, the main industrial partners in the project.
The double deck A380 can accommodate over 500 passengers, around 30% more than the Boeing 747.
Airbus managers call the new plane the future of aviation. Rivals Boeing say they are betting the company on an unproven vision.
Either way, the A380 is an enormous undertaking - a €15 billion industrial project employing close to 100,000 people.
Airbus says passenger growth and restrictions on the number of take-off and landing slots at airports means there is a need for bigger planes for long haul routes.
The double deck A380 holds an average of 555 passengers, compared to 400 for the Boeing 747, and Airbus claim the new plane will be cheaper to operate than the 747.
Airbus has overtaken Boeing to become the world's number one passenger plane maker. It needs to sell 250 of these giant planes to break even on the project but it already has firm orders for 140 versions of a plane that has yet to fly.
That maiden flight is expected within six weeks, and Singapore Airlines is due to take delivery of the first commercial version next year.
