(dpa) - Singapore Airlines (SIA) flew the world's largest passenger aircraft from Singapore to London on Tuesday, marking the super-jumbo's first commercial flight to Europe.
Carrying 449 passengers aboard SQ308, the Airbus 380 took off from Singapore's Changi Airport at 9 am. It was scheduled to land at London's Heathrow Airport at 1505 GMT on Tuesday.
The plane, so far operated only by SIA, is scheduled to take off for the return flight from London on Wednesday.
SIA took delivery of the jet in Toulouse, France, last Tuesday for daily flights between Singapore and London. Another A380 starts daily service to Tokyo on May 2.
The carrier became the first to fly the A380 last October on its Singapore-Sydney route. Sixteen more A380s are on firm order.
The planes are capable of holding 800 passengers in an all economy class configuration. SIA has divided the space between suites, business class and economy.
Seven customers from nine different countries, who flew on the first commercial flight to Sydney, were among those on the Singapore to London flight, SIA said. Eight of them also intend to fly straight back.
"Seats on both legs of the inaugural flight to London were snapped up soon after flight details were announced in late January this year, and forward bookings for A380 scheduled services there are strong," said Huang Cheng Eng, SIA's executive vice-president of marketing.