First Qantas A380 arrives two years late

Qantas Airways is now the third carrier in the world to boast having an Airbus A380 in its fleet. The first super-jumbo landed at the Sydney Airport on Sunday, just about two years later than originally planned.

The A380, carrying 70 staff members from Airbus and Qantas as well as a number of journalists, received a rousing welcome when it landed in Sydney after its 21-hour flight from France, where it was assembled, stopping in Singapore on the way.

The Airbus has a 525 passenger capacity, but was specially-configured for Qantas to carry 450 passengers, due to premium-class cabin design. It will make its first commercial flight from Melbourne to Los Angeles on 20 October, according to the airline’s executive general manager, John Borghetti.

Capt. Peter Probert, was the captain of the flight delivering the new aircraft. His father brought the first jumbo jet to Australia in 1971 – a Boeing 747. “It’s one of the greatest experiences I’ve ever had in my life flying the Qantas A380 down to Sydney,” he commented.

Before the plane touched down, it flew circuits over Sydney’s landmarks, such as the Harbour Bridge and the Sydney Opera House.

The A380 was scheduled for delivery in July of 2006, but a series of problems, including technical issues, communication failures and financial missteps delayed the event.

On Friday, at Toulouse, France, when Qantas officially received the airplane from Airbus, the Qantas chief executive, Geoff Dixon, said that the carrier was thinking of increasing the order upwards from the 20 now under agreement. Qantas is expecting to receive three more A380s this year.

www.qantas.com.au