Next Public Event For Behemoth: Paris Air Show

The world's biggest passenger plane -- the Airbus A380 -- began its first full day of ground tests Thursday, but probably won't make its maiden flight until later this month.

That could come between April 14th and 19th, according to company officials. In the meantime, the flight test crew is conducting acceleration and braking tests, determining the aircraft's performance on the runway before taking to the air.

The world got a brief look at the A380 in January as it was rolled out of its hangar for photographers. The next public display comes this summer, when the super-jumbo goes on display at the Paris Air Show.

“I can only tell you that this plane will be at Le Bourget. It won’t make a flying display, despite what some people have said, simply because this isn’t an aerobatic aircraft,” Airbus operations chief Gerard Blanc told Reuters. "It will be at Le Bourget from June 11 for a static presentation, but it won’t stay until the end of the (June 13-19) air show for the simple reason that it will be in test-flight mode, which is a period when every hour of work conducted on the plane is precious."

The A380 was reportedly scheduled to fly early this month. But developmental issues held up the taxi tests, setting the whole schedule behind a bit.

When the A380 enters service next year, it will be capable of carrying between 555 and 853 passengers, depending on the cabin layout. Some airports are rushing construction to accomodate the behemoth. Other airport officials say they just don't have the money to widen runways and change terminal configurations as required by the huge aircraft.

FMI: www.airbus.com