World's FIrst Superjumbo Delivered

The heads of both companies were expected to hail a major advance in air travel as the A380, the world's biggest passenger plane, finally leaves the company's factory in Toulouse after a difficult birth.

Delivery of the doubledecker plane is 18 months later than scheduled because of a series of production problems that have embarrassed Airbus and hit the plane maker's reputation among the world's airlines.

The handover is therefore a symbolic moment for Airbus as the group attempts to put its problems behind it, while Singapore Airlines will at last be able to implement its vision for the plane.

Monday will be the first time the group has unveiled how the interior of the the A380 will look, with the industry curious to find out which features have been incorporated in the cabin.

The 73-metre-long (239-feet) two-storey giant can carry a maximum of 853 people in an all-economy set-up (525 in the normal three-class configuration) and has 50 percent more floor space than the next biggest aircraft, the Boeing 747-400 jumbo.

Singapore Airlines has requested about 470 seats in its planes, promising even more spacious business and first-class travel and extra leg room for economy flyers.

The first plane is to leave Airbus headquarters on Tuesday for Singapore before making its maiden flight with passengers on board on October 25 on a Singapore-Sydney route.

The plane will begin regular services on October 28.

Airbus has announced slips to the A380 schedule on three separate occasions, principally down to complications with the wiring of the more than 330 miles (530 kilometres) of cable in each aircraft.

Lack of cooperation between French and German engineers -- Airbus has plants in Britain, France, Germany and Spain -- was partly to blame and the group has since launched a severe restructuring plan with 10,000 job cuts expected.

The first delivery of the A380 comes a week after US rival Boeing announced trouble with its flagship project, the new midsized 787 Dreamliner, which is now six months behind schedule.

The operational problems experienced by both Airbus and Boeing demonstrate the complexity of the design, engineering and manufacturing involved in modern airliners.

The A380 has been at the source of most of Airbus's problems in the last two years, provoking management changes, financial losses and the unpopular and politically-sensitive cost-cutting plan.

Most recently, the plane has been at the centre of an insider trading scandal, with managers and key shareholders suspected of selling shares in Airbus parent group EADS before the A380 production problems were made public.

All those implicated have denied wrongdoing and a judicial investigation is underway.

Sixteen airlines have placed firm orders for the A380, with Dubai-based Emirates the leading client among a customer list that includes predominantly Asian, European and Gulf-based carriers.

But beyond the hype about the size of the world's biggest passenger jet some analysts doubt that the aircraft will ever make money.

The A380 is designed to satisfy expected demand from two types of airline: those operating from hub airports such as Dubai, Singapore or London, and others that have limited take-off slots at crowded airports and want to maximise capacity.

Airbus has 180 firm orders and commitments to buy according to its latest figures, but the group has admitted it must more than double this figure for the project to be profitable.

Due to the delays and cost overruns, Airbus needs to sell 420 A380s at catalogue prices to cover its costs -- up from 270 when the programme was launched in 2000.

Given that catalogue prices are discounted, the final sales figure needed for breakeven will be even higher than this.

Airbus claims the A380 will offer the lowest cost per passenger of any airliner flying and will also emit less carbon dioxide per passenger and significantly reduce noise at takeoff and landing.

But its giant size means that it requires modifications to airport infrastructure, limiting the number of destinations it will be able to fly to.

It is expected to serve longhaul routes linking airport hubs and major cities such as Dubai, Doha, Johannesburg, London, New York, Singapore, Sydney and Tokyo.