SINGAPORE - The Airbus A380 superjumbo, the world's
biggest passenger aircraft, Saturday began special flights to
Beijing to meet higher demand ahead of the Olympic Games, Singapore
Airlines (SIA) said.
Flight SQ802 left Changi Airport at 8:40 am (0040 GMT), with 25
crew and 385 passengers, among them 12 athletes and 18 officials
from the Singapore team, SIA said in a statement.
The daily flights using the double-decker A380 will last until
August 8 and is aimed at catering to stronger passenger demand in
the week leading up to the Beijing Games.
SIA is the first airline in the world to operate the A380, the
largest airliner ever built which the Singapore carrier now uses to
fly to Sydney, London and Tokyo.
One of two A380s used for the London route has been temporarily
redeployed for the Beijing service.
"Over the next week, several hundred athletes from almost a dozen
countries will fly the A380 to Beijing to compete in the Games,"
SIA said.
The giant aircraft can carry up to 853 passengers but SIA, one of
the world's most profitable airlines, chose a setup with a maximum
of 471 seats to
give passengers more space.
The design includes 12 "suites", each with a full-length bed behind
sliding doors, sheets by French design house Givenchy and
flat-screen televisions. - AFP/vm