Qantas to Take Delivery of First A380 on 19 September 2008

Qantas is getting ready to take delivery of its first Airbus A380 aircraft. The airline will welcome the first A380 aircraft into its fleet on 19 September 2008 at a ceremony at Airbus’ Toulouse factory and fly it via Singapore to Sydney, where it will land on Sunday morning, 21 September.

Qantas will operate its first A380 commercial passenger service from Melbourne to Los Angeles on 20 October 2008, and its first Sydney-Los Angeles service on 24 October.

“This is the first of 20 A380s to join the Qantas fleet, with a total of three being delivered by the end of 2008,” said the Executive General Manager of Qantas, Mr John Borghetti. “We will be progressively introducing A380 services from Sydney to London via Singapore from early 2009.”

The first Qantas A380 will be configured with 450 seats - 14 individual First Suites, 72 Skybeds in Business Class, 32 in Premium Economy and 332 in Economy Class.

“Our Creative Director, world-renowned industrial designer Marc Newson, has overseen the design and development of all four classes on board – First, Business, Premium Economy and Economy – and all cabins will provide new levels of comfort, innovation, and style,” Mr Borghetti added. “The A380 is an exciting addition to the Qantas fleet, and our customers and staff are all eagerly awaiting its arrival.”

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