A380 Nears Takeoff

Here's the first look at the livery of Singapore Airlines’ new A380 aircraft as it leaves an Airbus finishing plant in Hamburg bound for final interior work in Toulouse, France.

Singapore Airlines, which has 49 A380s on order, will be the first carrier to fly the vaunted super-jumbo plane, which is certified to hold 853 in a single coach-class configuration.

But the international carriers who have ordered the plane so far have all said they will fly it in three-class configurations with about 500 passengers. While cabin design and configuration are being kept secret till launch, a Singapore spokesman tells me that the Singapore A380s will hold fewer than 480 seats.

Singapore's first commercial passenger flight, from Singapore to Sydney, is scheduled for late October, assuming everything remains on schedule. (The A380, of course, has long been beset with delays).

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Correction: As a reader points out, Singapore has ordered 19 A380s, not 49. Emirates is the top A380 buyer, with 47 orders.

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