LARGEST COMMERCIAL AIRLINERS
The Airbus A380 is a double-deck four-engined airliner manufactured by Airbus S.A.S. It first flew on April 27,2005 from Toulouse in France. Commercial flights are scheduled to begin in 2007 after lengthy delays. During much of its development phase, the aircraft was known as the Airbus A3XX, and the nickname Superjumbo has become associated with the A380.
The A380's upper deck extends along the entire length of the fuselage. This allows for a spacious cabin with 50% more floor space than the next largest airliner, providing seating for 555 people in standard three-class configuration or up to 853 people in full economy class configuration.[1] Two models of the A380 are currently available. The A380-800, the passenger model, is the largest passenger airliner in the world,[2] superseding the Boeing 747. The other launch model, the A380-800F, will be one of the largest freight aircraft and will have a payload capacity exceeded only by the Antonov An-225.
The A380-800 has a maximum range of 15,000 kilometres (8,000 nmi, sufficient to fly from Chicago to Sydney nonstop), and a cruising speed of Mach 0.85 (about 900 km/h at cruise altitude),[2] similar to that of the Boeing 747.[4]