The first handover of an Airbus A380 to an airline has been made today.
Singapore Airlines took delivery of the world's largest passenger aircraft at a ceremony in Toulouse, southern France, attended by journalists from around the world.
The A380 has been beset by a series of costly production delays and dogged by management scandals.
Airbus claims the aircraft will transform travellers' experience by offering a much quieter and more spacious cabin than its rivals.
It can carry up to 853 passengers in an economy class-only configuration, but most airlines are expected to take advantage of the extra space and carry fewer people in more luxury.
Airbus boasts that the new aircraft will have a greatly reduced environment impact, describing it as "greener, cleaner, quieter and smarter".
Compared with the Boeing 747-400 jumbo jets, the A380 makes a quarter of the noise coming into land, uses 12 per cent less fuel and produces 17 per cent less carbon dioxide.