Aviation enthusiasts took a peek into the future yesterday when Airbus' giant new A380 aircraft emerged from Hong Kong's polluted skies to make its first landing at Chek Lap Kok.
The aircraft - the third unit to roll off the production line in Toulouse, France - flew to Hong Kong on a stringent flight-testing routine that will see five of the planes circle the world three times in 18 days before the A380's expected certification for commercial use next month.
Top airline executives rubbed shoulders with die-hard planespotters as an excited throng jostled to get a first look at the 555-seat aircraft, expected to revolutionise the industry from both the consumer and operator perspectives.
'We have been waiting for this aircraft for many years. It will enhance our hub position,' said David Pang Ding-jung, chief executive of the Hong Kong Airport Authority. 'It will help us to bring the 1.3 billion Chinese living on the mainland to the world. And it will help us bring the world to China.'
Despite keen interest from both the public and private sectors, Airbus has struggled to bring the A380 to market, last month announcing the third delay to the delivery of the first aircraft to Singapore Airlines (SIA). It originally planned to have 11 aircraft delivered by year-end, but SIA will not now receive the first aircraft for another 11 months.
Delivery schedules to other buyers such as Emirates - which ordered 43 A380s - and Qantas have been delayed up to two years.
Airbus has not disclosed how much the delays will cost the company and its shareholders.
