First flight of the BA superjumbo: British Airways takes delivery of its new £270m Airbus A380

British Airways today took delivery of its new double-decker ‘superjumbo’ which airline bosses say will herald a new era for the nation’s flagship airline. BA says passengers will find its new £270million Airbus A380 bigger, more spacious, more comfortable, quieter and ‘greener’ than the ageing Jumbo jets it replaces – with fresher in-flight air to boot. This morning the giant of the skies touched down at Heathrow in London, waved on by cheering BA staff who welcomed its arrival. The plane is the first of a dozen of A380s ordered by British Airways ahead of the model going into service in the autumn. It is part of the airline’s wider five-year £5bn investment plan to refresh its fleet with 52 new aircraft including the Airbus’s new rival Boeing 787 dubbed the ‘plastic plane’. British Airways chief executive Keith Williams was at Airbus’s factory in Toulouse today to sign for hand-over and delivery of his first new A380 plane before flying in it with a small group of journalists - including myself - to BA’s main engineering base at London’s Heathrow Airport. The new double-decker superjumbo – whose high-tech British-built wings support up to 100,000 UK jobs - will be shown off alongside a Boeing 787 Dreamliner at the Hatton Cross site.

British Airways is also the first airline in Europe to operate both the Airbus A380 and the rival Boeing 787 Dreamliner, the first two of which landed at Heathrow last week.

The vast superjumbo planes can theoretically carry up to 800 people – provided all the passengers are squeezed into narrow economy-sized seats. But British Airways’ new A380s is making do with just 469 passengers across four classes of cabin classes – with lucrative First and Business class passengers paying a hefty premium for the privilege. The airline has announced that the first  ong-haul return flight from London Heathrow to Los Angeles on September 24 is priced from £621 in economy to £2,550 in business and  £3,799 in First, while the first Hong Kong return on October 22 is priced from £688 in economy to £2,499 in business and £5,800 in First. Legroom is 31 inches in economy, 38 inches in premium economy, there’s a 6ft-long bed in business class (Club World) and a luxurious 6ft 6 inch-long bed in First Class.  But BA add that the new economy seats have been cleverly designed to be thinner-backed and hollowed out to increase seating space for passengers.

In addition, Airbus points out that the A380 has 50 per cent more floor-space than a Boeing 747 Jumbo jet – but the number of passengers is just 30 per cent more – meaning each one has more space. First class passengers have 14 seats at the front of the main deck and enjoy nearly a third more ‘personal space’ and 60 per cent more personal stowage. Business Class (called Club World by BA ) has 44 seats on the main deck, and  53 seats on the upper deck. Premium economy has 55 seats on the upper deck, while the reminder travelling economy  can choose seats on both the main and upper deck.  The airline has ordered 12 A380s for delivery by 2016 of which three will arrive this year followed by a further five in 2014. But it had to raise the roof of its hangars at Heathrow by around 12 feet to accommodate the new superjumbos. BA said the new aircraft’s innovative design means it is twice as quiet as a Boeing 747 Jumbo jet on take-off – and four times quieter on landing which may help placate some residents around Heathrow. It is also 16 per cent more fuel efficient per seat than a Jumbo Jet, and claims to be the ‘greenest’ passenger jet in the sky.

British Airways chief executive Mr Williams said: ’These aircraft are the start of a new era for British Airways. Over the next 15 months, we will take delivery of new aircraft at the rate of one a fortnight as we put ourselves at the forefront of modern aviation.’ ‘The A380 is a fantastic aircraft and an excellent showpiece for British engineering. Our customers are going to love the space, light and comfort on board.’ Mr Williams said: ’We are investing £5billion in improving our products and services across the board, whether that is in new aircraft, lounge upgrades, enhanced catering or changes to our short haul product.  Renewing our aircraft fleet is a significant part of this.’ He added that some of these aircraft will replace older members of our fleet, and will also allow it to grow its worldwide network and offer customers new and exciting destinations. Airbus president and chief executive Fabrice Bregier said it was 'a very proud moment' to see the A380 in the livery of British Airways. He added: 'It is a special day for UK industry too. A significant proportion of  this amazing aircraft was designed and built  at Airbus UK sites in Filton and  Broughton, as well as  at our many partners’ facilities across the country.’

All BA’s A380s will be powered by Rolls-Royce Trent 900 engines built at Derby which means up to 40 per cent of the value near £300million cost of each superjumbo – or around £120million -  is ‘British made’. Airbus said that over its lifetime of the A380 plane will contribute £15billion to the UK economy with the Rolls-Royce engines adding another £11billion. But while it may be BA’s first superjumbo, it is the 106th to be delivered with rivals such as Singapore Airlines, Emirates, Qantas Air France and Lufthansa getting in first. BA is now is embarking on a complex training programme with pilots and cabin-crew at Manston Airport in Kent. Customer service trials are taking place at Heathrow, and short-haul flying for both aircraft within the UK. However the A380 has not been without its teething problems. Last month air investigators said a mid-flight engine explosion on a Qantas A380 in 2010, which prompted the airline to ground its fleet,  was triggered by a poorly built oil-pipe. Rolls-Royce later agreed to pay £58million in compensation. And last year there were concerns about cracks found in parts of the hi-tech British-built wings.