We have had a lot of firsts in our series of 30 Greatest Moments in Aviation, First Non Stop Balloon Flight, First Commercial Jet, First Concorde, but now we come to the biggest. The most recent and imposing moment in modern aviation is the introduction of the mammoth machine that is the AirBus A380, by quite a jump, the biggest commercial air carrier in the world. This four engine, double decker jet airliner from Airbus totals in at a whopping 5,146 sq feet of floor space- that’s more than two tennis courts!
With a capacity to seat up to 853 people, the A380 is, quite incredibly, 40% larger than the Boeing 747-8, the next largest airliner and offers 50% more floor space than any other high-capacity aircraft. This extra space in the main deck allows for a more luxurious, enjoyable and comfortable flying experience with bigger seats, more leg room, larger isles and even space for business centres and bar/social areas. What’s more, this added space extends across all service classes. The different airlines are getting creative with space, and adjustments such as suites with separate sleeping (with a full size bed) and sitting areas can be found on the Singapore Airlines A380s.
First launched on 27th April 2005, the A380 made it’s first commercial flight in October 2007 with Singapore airlines. This excitement has been replicated across the aviation industry with Airbus receiving over 324 firm orders, with the most going to Emirates which has 140. This new wave in superjumbo aviation marks another step forward in what we can do in the sky.
30 Greatest Moments In Aviation – in association with Breitling, celebrating the 30th Anniversary of the timeless Chronomat.
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