Airbus A380 lands at Trudeau International Airport in Montreal on Monday, Nov. 12, 2007.
Watched by ground crews and media representatives the Airbus A380 is seen at the airport in Frankfurt, Germany on March 19, 2007. (AP / Michael Probst)
Australians Tony and Julie Elwood share a romantic moment on their double bed in the exclusive suite aboard the Singapore Airlines Airbus A380 on Thursday, Oct. 25, 2007. (AP / Gillian Wong)
World's largest passenger jet lands in Montreal
Updated Mon. Nov. 12 2007 1:26 PM ET
CTV.ca News Staff
The world's largest commercial passenger jet touched down at Montreal's Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport on Monday, with almost 500 passengers on board.
Aviation fans, gathered at the airport in anticipation of its arrival, applauded as it touched down at approximately 12:20 p.m.
CTV's Jed Kahane said thousands of people from as far away as New York gathered at vantage points around Trudeau airport to watch the Airbus' arrival.
The Airbus arrived from Paris' Charles de Gaulle Airport and is scheduled to fly to Orlando on Tuesday before returning to Paris on Thursday.
The stops are part of its world tour the company hopes will prove the craft's mammoth size is compatible with international airports.
The double-decker airliner dwarfs the Boeing 747 jumbo jet -- previously the largest commercial aircraft in use -- with 40 per cent more passenger seating and 50 per cent more floor space.
The aircraft's 80-metre wingspan is 15 metres longer than the Boeing 747's.
The A380 is as tall as a seven-storey building and can carry 853 passengers when not designed to cater to first-class passengers.
A380 crafts used by Singapore Airlines commonly have room for 471 passengers, including 12 suites that are enclosed by sliding doors and fitted with a leather seat, flat screen TV and a bed that folds into the wall.
Singapore Airlines began using an Airbus A380 for daily commercial flights between Singapore and Australia last month.
Normand Boivin, Aeroports de Montreal's vice president of airport operations, told CTV.ca that the airport was in talks with Air France and may begin receiving Airbus flights in 2009.
Montreal's Trudeau airport was one of the first in the world to complete alterations necessary to accommodate the world's largest passenger airliner.
That included enlarging the width of taxiing lanes, but did not require any alterations to the runways.
"We have 11,000-foot long runways," Boivin said. "That's plenty for that type of aircraft."
He said most of the passengers aboard the craft were dignitaries, company management and contest winners.
Last year, an Airbus A380 landed at Vancouver International Airport as part of a global test run.
On Monday, Saudi Arabia's Prince Alwaleed bin Talal bin Abdulaziz Alsaud became the first person to buy a VIP version of the double-decker airplane.
The Airbus A380 Flying Palace will undergo a cabin outfitting to provide more space and comfort, as well as a more modern design.
Airbus already has 166 orders for the plane from 15 airlines, but ran into a series of financial setbacks, including a two-year delay of the A380 that cost the company US$6.61 billion in its profit forecasts.
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A380 to visit Montreal on Nov.12
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