Singapore Airlines Receives First A380

Singapore Airlines today became the first carrier to receive an Airbus A380, the world's largest passenger aircraft.

A ceremony was hosted by Airbus, Singapore Airlines and engine-maker Rolls-Royce at the plane maker's delivery centre in Toulouse, France.

Tom Enders, president and chief executive of Airbus, said: "This is a major milestone for the A380 programme and I would like to express my deepest appreciation to all parties concerned.

"I want to thank our teams and all those who worked hard, days, nights and weekends, for their dedication and commitment."

The newly-delivered A380 will take off on October 16th to land at Singapore's Changi international airport the next day.

It will enter service on October 25th with a flight from Singapore to Sydney and full scheduled services will commence on October 28th.

Airbus claims that the A380 is cleaner, greener and quieter than its counterparts in the aviation industry, with a fuel efficiency of less than three litres per passenger for every 100km.

A total of 189 orders have been received for the aircraft from 16 customers, including Emirates and Qantas.

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