The Airbus A380, the biggest airliner ever built, completed a momentous maiden flight today, winning praise from one of the pilots as a 'magnificent machine' and opening a new era in aviation history.
Tens of thousands of spectators cheered as the A380 touched down at the Toulouse-Blagnac airport near the southwestern city of Toulouse, home of the European aircraft maker Airbus Industrie, after a flight of three hours and 54 minutes.
The flight represented a pivotal moment for Airbus, the European aircraft maker that has punched its way to the top of the civil aircraft industry to challenge the Boeing 747's long dominance of the jumbo jet market.
The A380 is a long-haul, four-engine superjumbo that can carry between 550 and 840 passengers and fly 8,000 miles non-stop. The gleaming white prototype, sporting the new Airbus trademark blues on its tail, was powered by four Rolls-Royce Trent 900 engines.
The Airbus shareholders, parent company EADS, with an 80% holding, and BAE Systems of Britain, with 20%, have already invested heavily in the programme - more than €10 billion and another €1.45 billion may be needed.
The big plane has been a big draw - 15 airlines have already signed contracts for 154 planes, of which 144 are firm. The tally comes close to Airbus's forecasts of selling 150 planes by mid-2005.
The order book is massive - the catalogue price of an A380 is between $260-290m. Singapore Airlines was the first to order, while US and Japanese airlines have proven more difficult to lure.
