The A380 is a doubledeck jumbo jet. It is the largest passenger airliner in the world. Its first test flight was on April 27, 2005 departing from Toulouse, France. The upper deck extends for the full length of the fuselage. The above specifications are for the A380-800 model. Additional models include the A380-800F (cargo) and A380-900 (stretch version with up to 1000 passengers in full economy configuration).

Airbus Industrie was formed in 1970 as a multinational effort between Germany, England and France to create a high-capicity twin-jet transport (this developed into the A300). Today Airbus Industrie has become the world's second largest manufacturer of civil airliners which seat over 100 passengers. In it's first 25 years Airbus has sold over 2,100 aircraft, with more than 1400 in service worldwide. The consortium is headquartered in southwest France near the city of Toulouse and owned by Europe's four leading aerospace companies (Aerospatiale of France, Daimler-Benz Aerospace Airbus of Germany, British Aerospace, and Casa of Spain).