Airline To Receive First Superjumbo On September 19

It looks like the first Airbus A380 for Qantas Airways will be a late-summer arrival. The Australian flag carrier announced Friday it will receive its first superjumbo during a September 19 delivery ceremony in Toulouse.

In addition to being a particularly good day (mate) in the eyes of ANN's Rob Finfrock -- hint, he's a Virgo -- the September 19 delivery date will also allow Qantas to test the aircraft for one month before it enters scheduled commercial service.

Following a two-day delivery flight via Singapore, the A380 will arrive in Sydney the morning of September 21. The plane will begin scheduled service between Melbourne and Los Angeles, CA on October 20, followed by LA-to-Sydney service four days later.

"This is the first of 20 A380s to join the Qantas fleet, with a total of three being delivered by the end of 2008," said Wally R. Mariani, Qantas Airways senior executive vice president, The Americas and Pacific.

Following the delivery of a second A380 in November, Qantas plans to operate five A380 flights per week between Los Angeles and Australia: two round-trip flights to Melbourne and three flights to Sydney.

A380 services from Sydney to London via Singapore will be gradually introduced from early 2009.

FMI: www.qantas.com, www.airbus.com