Group : Passenger Airliners
Status : Active
Also Known As : A380 Flying Palace (VIP version), A380-800, A3XX, ACJ380 Flying Palace (VIP version), Airbus A380plus, SuperJumbo
Origin : France, Germany, United Kingdom
Contractor : Airbus
Initial Operational Capability (IOC) : October 15, 2007
First Flight : April 27, 2005
Total Production : 294
Unitary Cost : USD $446 million

The Airbus A380 is a twin-deck , four aisle airliner developed to meet the requirements of 21st century commercial aviation required by airlines, airport and airworthiness authorities. As a Result of that, the A380 introduces new standards of comfort, fuel consumption effectiveness, environmental impact and, more importantly, reduced congestion from today's airports traffic. Using a three-class interior layout, a single A380 aircraft will be able to carry up to 555 passengers over a range of up to 14,800 km. This high capacity will enable Airbus to compete with Boeing for the large aircraft segment. Airbus expects to develop larger and longer range members of the A380 family of commercial aircraft. They will powered by Rolls-Royce Trent 900 and Engine Alliance (General Electric + Pratt & Whitney) GP7000 engines families. On January 18, 2005, the first Airbus A380 was unveiled at Airbus' facilities in Toulouse, France. The president of France, Jacques Chirac, the German chancellor, Gerhard Schroeder, and the prime ministers of Great Britain and Spain, Tony Blair and Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero, were present at the ceremony which marked an important milestone for the A380 program and Airbus company.

The first production Airbus A380 airplane made its maiden flight seamlessly powered by four Trent 900 engines on Wednesday, April 27, 2005. The aircraft took off from Blagnac International Airport in Toulouse, France, and returned safely after a flight that lasted for four hours. The first GP7200-powered A380 got airborne for four hours and 10 minutes on August 25, 2006 after taking off from Blagnac International Airport in Toulouse, France. The first passenger flight took place at Blagnac International Airport in Toulouse, France, on September 4th, 2006. Airbus A380 powered by Trent 900 engines received the joint type certification from EASA and FAA on December 12, 2006. On 3 October 2006, Airbus announced that the first A380 delivery was delayed to October 2007 with 13 to be delivered in 2008 and 25 in 2009. The schedule shift was due to the aircraft's electrical harnesses installation time which exceeded the early estimates. From 2010 onwards Airbus expects to deliver 45 A380s annually. The production of the A380 airliner is expected to conclude in 2021 after delivering roughly 300 aircraft.

Group : Freight Airliners
Status : Cancelled
Also Known As : A380-800F
Origin : France, Germany, United Kingdom
Contractor : Airbus
Initial Operational Capability (IOC) : 2008
Total Production : 24
Unitary Cost : USD $250 million

The Airbus A380F is a three-deck, long range freighter capable of carrying payloads of 150-ton over non-stop ranges of up to 10,400 km with the lowest unit cost of any freighter ever. It derived from the Airbus A380-800 Superjumbo high seating capacity airliner. The aircraft special layout will bring new efficiency standards to the cargo aircraft market. The A380-800F three decks can be filled with standard pallets and simultaneously accessible though five doors. These features and its growing potential make A380F well suited to high demand global supply chain management network. It is expected to enter into service in 2008.

On January 18, 2005, the first Airbus A380 was unveiled at Airbus' facilities in Toulouse, France. The president of France, Jacques Chirac, the German chancellor, Gerhard Schroeder, and the prime ministers of Great Britain and Spain, Tony Blair and Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero, were present at the ceremony which marked an important milestone for the A380 program and Airbus company. Airbus A380F Freighter first metal cut occurred on 12 April 2005 at Airbus' site in Nantes, France. By the way, Airbus expressed its commitment to put into service the first of such an aircraft with a capacity of 150 tons of cargo by mid-2008. Finally, Airbus took the decision to reduce risk on the A380 program by cancelling the A380F freighter variant development.