A380 Maiden Flight Reaches Sydney

The Airbus superjumbo overcame almost two years of delays to make a problem-free inaugural flight from Singapore with 455 passengers aboard

The biggest jetliner in the world touched down safely in Sydney on Thursday afternoon local time, seven hours after taking off from Singapore's Changi Airport on its inaugural flight. The Airbus A380, as tall as a seven-storey building, was finally carrying passengers -- a full 18 months behind schedule.

The 455 passengers, who had bid for their seats in a charity auction, enjoyed a party atmosphere on the luxury Singapore Airlines flight. The passengers were treated to champagne and caviar by the 30-strong crew, came from 35 different countries, with the oldest 91-year-old Leong Lou Teck, the youngest a 10-month-old baby. The first passenger on board was the highest-paying, Briton Julian Hayward, who had forked out €70,690 ($100,380). The plane carried two top chefs, one from Singapore and one from Sydney, who cooked up duck breast, lobster, wok-fried beef and noodles for the passengers.

"I'm a big airplane freak," one passenger, Ernest Graaff told Reuters, "I'm excited about being part of history." Australian Tony Elwood and his wife Julie relaxed in the comfort of their first-class suite, sipping Dom Perignon. "I have never been in anything like this in the air before in my life," he told the Associated Press.

The Airbus A380 can accommodate up to 853 passengers on an all-economy flight but Singapore Airlines had opted for more space and comfort with just 471 seats. The plane is fitted with 60 business-class seats and has 12 luxury suites for first-class passengers which boast flat-screen TVs and full-length beds with designer sheets. First class tickets will cost a whopping €14,000 the Singapore-Sydney route when it starts normal service on Sunday.

Singapore Airlines has ordered a total of 19 A380s and has the exclusivity of being the plane's sole operator for 10 months. It plans to open an A380 service from Singapore to London in February. The first of the giant jets was handed over to the airline on Oct. 15, 18 months behind schedule after wiring problems caused delays. The set back pushed the European planemaker into a loss and was partially responsible for 10,000 job cuts.

The A380 overtakes the Boeing 747 jumbo jet as the biggest in the world, a full 37 years after the US-made colossus first took to the skies in 1970. Some analysts have warned that building the gigantic plane, which can carry 72 cars on each wing, is the wrong way to go. "It's an expensive way to address a small market," Shukor Yusof of Standard & Poor told the Associated Press. He says that the market is likely to be dominated by mid-size aircraft, such as Boeing's 787 Dreamliner which has already secured 710 orders. In contrast Airbus has 180 orders for its A380 superjumbo, 55 of which will be going to Dubai-based Emirates.

Provided by Spiegel Online—Read the latest from Europe's largest newsmagazine