Qantas receives first A380

Qantas, the national airline of Australia, has taken delivery of the first of its 20 Airbus A380 aircraft.

Geoff Dixon, the airline's chief executive officer, said the aircraft marked the beginning of a new era for Qantas, which claims to be the world's most experienced carrier.

"No other airline has flown as far as Qantas for as long as Qantas, so we know very well the value of a well designed inflight product for long haul flights," he said.

"The A380, with its extra space, new materials and advanced technology, has given us the ideal platform to reinvent the inflight experience."

Qantas worked with industrial designer Mark Newson to create the interiors for its A380 planes, which will offer 332 seats in economy, 72 seats in business class, 32 premium economy spaces and 14 first class seats.

The airline will carry out a number of checks before operating its first commercial passenger service, from Melbourne to Los Angeles on October 20th.

Qantas will launch its flights to Sydney from London Heathrow via Singapore using the A380 in January 2009.

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