FRANCE: In a blizzard of dry ice, operatic music and multi-ethnic dancing, the world's largest passenger aircraft made its first public appearance at a vast airfield on the outskirts of Toulouse, south-west France, yesterday.
Bathed in soft purple light, the Airbus A380 "superjumbo" dwarfed a crowd of 5,000 guests including the heads of government from Britain, France, Germany and Spain.
The double-decker aircraft, which can carry up to 850 passengers and has a wingspan of 90 metres, is billed as the biggest development in mass-market air travel since the introduction of the Boeing 747 in 1969.
Virgin Atlantic, which has ordered six of the aircraft, is planning to use the extra space for in-flight gyms, beauty salons and casinos.
With Welsh-made wings, a German fuselage and a Spanish tail, the aircraft is regarded as a symbol of European industrial co-operation. Its completion is a huge boost to Airbus in its long-running transatlantic battle with America's Boeing to be the world's top manufacturer of passenger aircraft.
The British Prime Minister, Mr Tony Blair, described the superjumbo as "simply stunning" and said it marked "an unprecedented level of industrial co-operation between European countries".
The French President, Mr Jacques Chirac, went further, praising a "truly magnificent endeavour" and calling for closer European integration.
"To our partners, I say we must go further down this European path which is so vital for growth, for prosperity and well-being," he said.
Airbus has devoted five years and £5.5 billion (€7.8 billion) to the superjumbo project, which is running £1 billion over budget.
Many airlines have chosen to fit Rolls-Royce engines to their A380s. The British manufacturer said the power of one A380 taking off would be equivalent to 3,500 family cars.
To date, however, orders are well short of break-even. Airbus needs to sell 250 of the aircraft, which have a catalogue price of $260 million each, to regain its costs. Airlines have only committed themselves to 149.
America's cash-strapped airlines are yet to order any A380s. British Airways has so far ignored pressure to sign up, as have Japan's airlines.
Experts are split on its prospects for success. Mr Chris Tarry of the aviation research firm, CTAIRA, said it would help long-haul airlines squeeze more passengers through limited landing slots at congested airports such as London Heathrow and Tokyo's Narita terminal.
The new aircraft is more fuel-efficient and quieter than its predecessors. Airlines say it is environmentally friendly because it will carry more passengers, precluding the need for more takeoffs and landings.