Airbus A380

The Airbus A380 "superjumbo" is the largest civil aircraft ever built. Designed to carry 555 passengers in a three-class arrangement, it has one-third more seating capacity than a Boeing 747. A planned stretched version would carry 656 passengers, and an all-economy-class configuration would be able to carry more than 800 passengers.


Airbus built this model of a possible first-class area on its new A380 "superjumbo" plane.

A model of a bar area in an Airbus A380 shows how the plane's "superjumbo" proportions may benefit some passengers. The plane's main and upper levels will serve as passenger areas. The lower deck will be for freightor additional passenger facilities such as sleeper cabins, child care, gymnasiums, casinos, or business centers, at the discretion of the airlines that purchase the planes.

A model of an onboard duty-free shop shows a possible use for the Airbus A380's extra room. The new European-made plane has 49 percent more floor area but only 35 percent more seats (in a 555-seat configuration) than the 747-400, the biggest model produced by U.S. based competitor Boeing.

A section of the A380 fuselage clearly shows the planes three floors. About 40 percent of the aircraft's structure and components will be manufactured from the latest generation of carbon composites and advanced metallic materials. Besides being lighter than traditional materials, these substances offer significant advantages in terms of operational reliability, maintainability and ease of repair, according to Airbus.