The first Singapore Airlines A380 superjumbo, the world's biggest passenger aircraft, arrived in Beijing on Saturday with the first members of Singapore's Olympic delegation.

The airline is to fly the A380 daily until Aug. 8, when the Beijing Olympic Games open, from Singapore to Beijing in a week of special Olympic flights to cater for the increased demand.

The first flight, carrying 385 customers and 25 crew, departed Changi Airport at 8:40 a.m. and arrived at 2:50 p.m. with 12 athletes and 18 officials from Team Singapore led by chef de mission Dr Tan Eng Liang.

They are part of the largest Singapore contingent to take part in the Games since 1956.

Over the next week, several hundred athletes from almost a dozen countries will take the A380 service to Beijing.

The airline will revert to the normal scheduled Boeing 777 aircraft after Aug. 8.

Singapore Airlines operates 66 weekly flights to four cities in China:35 to Shanghai, three to Nanjing, seven to Guangzhou and 21 to Beijing.

Singapore Airlines was the first airline in the world to take delivery of the Airbus A380, putting it into service in October last year.

(Xinhua News Agency August 3, 2008)