The world's largest passenger jet landed Thursday in Sydney after its inaugural seven-hour flight from Singapore.

The Singapore Airlines Airbus A380, dubbed the Superjumbo, can hold 850 passengers, but had only 450 people aboard the first flight.

An online auction for seats on the maiden flight raised $1.4 million for charity, with some passengers paying between $560 and $100,380 to be aboard, the Australian Broadcasting Corp., reported.

"I have never been in anything like this in the air before in my life," first-class passenger Tony Elwood told the BBC by phone during the flight. "It is going to make everything else after this simply awful."

Sydney Airport spent millions to accommodate the huge craft's two seating decks, the report said. Taxi ways also had to be realigned and a tunnel running under the main runway had to be reinforced to cope with the aircraft's weight.

Singapore Airlines is expecting to take delivery of a further five A380s next year, out of its total order of 19.  // Copyright 2007 by United Press International



Publication date: 25 October 2007   

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