Qantas landed its first A380 superjumbo here on Sunday, hopeful that its arrival will boost the Australian carrier, which has recently faced a series of mechanical problems including a mid-air blast.
The arrival in Australia of the first of the giant Airbus A380s, the world's largest passenger jet, comes as Qantas also battles rising fuel costs and global financial uncertainty.
"We are witnessing an exciting new era for Qantas but also for Australian aviation," executive general manager John Borghetti said after the plane landed at Sydney airport cheered by hundreds of Qantas staff and their families. Borghetti said the A380s, which run on four Rolls-Royce engines and have a wingspan of about 80 metres (264 feet), were quieter and more fuel-efficient than other planes while the interiors would redefine the customer experience.
"It's so exciting. It gives the whole industry a boost, particularly so given the economic climate that we are in," Borghetti told AFP. Borghetti said the arrival of the 350-million-dollar (290 million US) dollar A380 - delivered to the airline in France on Friday-would allow Qantas to keep its position at the forefront of world aviation.
Asked about the recent mechanical problems encountered by the airline, Borghetti said only: "Qantas' engineering excellence is legendary." In July, Qantas faced a storm of negative publicity after an oxygen cylinder exploded on a flight from Hong Kong to Melbourne in July, blowing a hole in the fuselage and forcing an emergency landing in Manila.
The incident was one of several that prompted the Australian aviation watchdog to urge Qantas earlier this month to improve maintenance. Qantas was the first airline to order the A380s, committing to the double-decker craft in 2000, but delivery has been slowed by delays and budget overruns in production in Toulouse, France.
The airline's first commercial A380 service will operate between Melbourne and Los Angeles on October 20. It hopes to have taken delivery of three of the aircraft by the end of the year and of all 20 by the end of 2013. Outgoing Qantas chief executive Geoff Dixon said in Toulouse on Friday that further orders of the world's largest airliner and the next-generation A350 passenger jets were being considered, but he did not specify how many.
"We are watching carefully the possibility of increasing our order," he told reporters, but added that "we don't talk numbers." Dubai's Emirates, which is the second airliner to take delivery of the superjumbos, is currently the Airbus' largest A380 client with 58 orders.
Singapore Airlines, the first airliner to take delivery of the A380, launched the plane on its Singapore to Sydney route in October 2007. Airbus has said the airplane can seat 853 passengers, all in economy class. Qantas has configured its A380 to seat 450 passengers in four classes.
Adding a link to Australia's aviation history, Qantas's first A380 was flown into Sydney by the pilot whose father flew the first Boeing 747 Down Under in 1971. "It's one of the greatest experiences I've ever had in my life, flying the Qantas A380 down to Sydney," an emotional Captain Peter Probert said.