Qantas is taking delivery of its first Airbus A380 superjumbo today (Friday).
The A380 will be configured with 450 seats in four cabins – 14 in First Class, 72 in Business Class, 32 in Premium Economy and 332 in Economy Class.
The aircraft will depart from the manufacturer in Toulouse this evening and fly via Singapore to Sydney where it will land on Sunday morning.
The A380 will be then be officially welcomed into the airline’s fleet in front of 3,000 airline staff and their families.
The first commercial services will be from Melbourne to Los Angeles on October 20 and from Sydney to Los Angeles on October 24 after a period of staff training.
Qantas plans to introduce A380 services from Sydney to London via Singapore from early 2009.
The introduction of the new aircraft has enabled the Australian airline to revamp its long haul cabins with new fully flat beds in business class, a new premium economy cabin and new economy seats.
by Phil Davies
