Airbus has handed over the first of five A380s to Asia’s largest carrier China Southern Airlines.
China Southern will be the first Chinese airline to fly the A380, when the aircraft enters service later this month.
It has opted for a 506-seat three-class configuration, including eight first calss suites, 70 lie-flat business class seats and 428 economy seats.
From October 18, the airline will deploy the A380 on flights between Beijing and Guangzhou. From October 27 it will be moved onto Beijing-Shanghai routes.
The A380 will be moved onto international routes from an as yet unannounced date – a move which the airline hopes will make it more competitive, said Si Xianmin, China Southern’s chairman.
“The introduction of the A380 in our fleet is a very important step for the development of China Southern,” he said.
“This most spacious and modern aircraft enables us, to offer our passengers world-standard comfort on our flights... and is the perfect asset to make China Southern Airlines achieve its goal of becoming a leading global carrier.”