Qantas A380 touches down in Sydney
Third A380 customer after Singapore Airlines and Emirates...!!!
With a gentle landing that belied its enormous size, Qantas's first Airbus A380 superjumbo touched down at Sydney Airport this morning.
Hundreds of onlookers lined up along the airport perimeter to watch the jet make its historic landing and 3000 Qantas employees gathered in a hanger to welcome its crew.
On board the delivery flight, Captain Peter Probert, whose father brought the first Boeing 747 into Australia in 1971, told passengers that the flight had been a career highlight.
"It's one of the greatest experiences I've ever had in my life flying the Qantas A380 down to Sydney," he said.
Before touchdown the aircraft performed a series of circuits over Sydney Harbour, the northern beaches and eastern suburbs.
The jet left the European plane maker's home town of Toulouse after a glittering ceremony in the French city on Friday night and landed in Sydney about 9am.
Eighty-six passengers were on board, including a team of technicians, Qantas executives, chef Neil Perry, head designer Marc Newson and a large media contingent, all of whom were treated to Dom Perignon champagne and Penfolds Grange 2001 vintage.
All on board agreed the plane was much quieter than jumbo jets up to now and having 50 per cent more floor space than a 747 helped alleviate the cramped, claustrophobic feeling inside the cabin.
The self-serve snack bars and communal lounges proved popular, but the most complimented improvement was the fully-flat Skybeds that allowed for a good night's sleep.
Fourteen first-class and 332 economy seats are located on the main deck, with 72 business and 32 premium economy seats on the second level.
The aircraft was greeted by Qantas chief executive general manager John Borghetti, the media and a large group of the carrier's employees and their families.
Qantas chief executive Geoff Dixon attended the handover ceremony in Toulouse where he said the airline was relying on the A380 to repair Qantas's reputation following a long-running dispute with engineers and a spate of maintenance issues.
Mr Dixon said the plane would offer higher levels of passenger comfort with more space per seat, advanced cabin lighting designed to fight jetlag through simulated sunset and sunrise, reduced noise levels, and expanded access to inflight internet, email and sms services in every class.
"I just think it is almost the perfect aircraft for long-haul travel and obviously that's our DNA," Mr Dixon said.
