Super delayed super jumbo lands in Paris

The Airbus A380 has been in the aviation news quite a bit over the last months. This record-breaking jet has had to delay its first deliveries by over two years, and has sparked interest and debate over its feasibility in the process.

This behemoth airliner arrived after a test flight at a newly fortified Charles De Gaulle Airport in Paris, France on Friday. It landed on a runway reinforced and widened to accommodate its girth.

A new terminal had to be built to receive the double-decker plane as well. This didn’t come cheap at a construction cost of over 100 million euros for the new lounge.

Amid speculation that some of its first major customers would back out, deliveries are still planned for Singapore airlines and Air France-KLM, who will receive its first jet in 2009.

Airports around the world will have to make significant and costly improvements to service these planes, and some of the biggest travel hubs in the world have already begun the process.

These include cities such as San Francisco, London, Frankfurt and Sydney.

With this recent landing, the future of the A380 seems more secure. Airbus Chief Executive Louis Gallois assures: “Now we know it is here, it is beautiful, it is excellent.”

www.singaporeair.com