Airbus A380 released by Abacus

The Airbus A380 made its first public appearance in mid-January and is scheduled to make its first test flight this Spring. This exciting aircraft has received tremendous attention and for good reason. The A380-800 seats up to 550 passengers and transports them up to 8000 miles. Due to the enormous size and weight of the A380, the Airbus Consortium is working with major airports to modify their runways, taxiways and loading gates to handle its two story passenger compartment.

Already, thirteen international carriers have placed firm orders for 135 of the new aircraft. The first A380 is slated to launch in 2006. Among the intial carriers are Lufthansa, China Southern Airlines, Thai Airways, Etihad Airways, Qantas, Singapore Air, Federal Express, UPS and others.