The world's biggest airliner, the European Airbus A380, flew for the first time today in a new challenge to US rival Boeing Co in the battle for the global aviation market.
The double-decker A380, designed to carry 555 passengers but with room for more than 800, touched down smoothly almost four hours after soaring into sunny skies on its maiden flight above Airbus headquarters near Toulouse, in southern France.
Chief test pilot Jacques Rosay
The European Airbus consortium is counting on the A380 to help it keep its edge over Boeing, while the US company says it believes the future lies in smaller long-range airliners.
Thousands of enthusiasts cheered outside the perimeter fence as the plane, carrying just a six-man test crew, landed after completing a series of tests of equipment and in-flight procedures on the world's heaviest commercial airliner.
"You handle (this aircraft) as you handle a bicycle. It's very, very easy to fly," chief test pilot Jacques Rosay said after fellow pilot Claude Lelaie landed the $285 million plane.
The A380, as long as eight London buses and with enough room on its wings to park 70 cars, heralds a new era in passenger travel, just as the supersonic Concorde jet set new standards by breaking the sound barrier in 1969.
But Airbus faces a tough battle with Boeing and is still short of selling 250 of the A380s, which it says is the break-even point. Some experts say it will have to sell almost three times as many to make a profit.
Boeing said it was pleased the flight test passed successfully and congratulated Airbus.
But a spokesman said: "In terms of the market it is likely to secure, our view remains unchanged and that is that the A380 is a very large aircraft for a very small market."
"We believe people want to fly directly to their destinations on smaller planes rather than having to change at hubs which builds in delay and frustration," he said.