The superjumbo Airbus A380 interior decoration was shown to the public yesterday at Pudong International Airport.

   

It was the first time a completely equipped A380 has been shown in Shanghai.

 

The aircraft landed in the city as the second stop of its demonstration tour of the mainland.

 

The exercise is designed to promote the plane and attract more orders from Chinese carriers.

 

"We think the planes are suitable not only for long-distance international flights but can also work well for long-distance domestic flights," said Lindsey Mi, vice president of Airbus China Ltd.

 

So far there are only four airports in China that have the capacity to berth the 519-seat, double-deck aircraft - Hong Kong, Guangzhou, Shanghai and Beijing. Around the world the figure is 60 and Airbus expects it to be 70 airports by 2010.

 

 

Liu Shaoyong, general manager of China Southern Airlines which is the only buyer of an A380 on the mainland so far, said on Wednesday that the carrier is considering using the plane for domestic routes like between Beijing and Guangzhou, plus international routes like Beijing-New York and Beijing-Paris.

 

This dashed China Southern's plans to fly the superjumbos during the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

 

The plane took a demonstration flight yesterday morning from Shanghai to Hangzhou in neighboring Zhejiang Province, a journey of about 250 kilometers, with 200 passengers from Airbus's customers, government officials, media and guests.

 

The plane touched down in Shanghai about 3pm on Wednesday from Guangzhou and departed for Beijing yesterday afternoon, its last stop of the mainland. From Beijing it will fly to Istanbul.

 

(Shanghai Daily October 26, 2007)