c-upi

PARIS, Jan. 18 (UPI) -- The world's biggest civil airline
made its debut Tuesday near Toulouse, France, in a lavish party
hosted by four European heads of state.
As long as a soccer field and high as an eight-story hotel,
the Airbus A380 is the $15.6-billion European creation aimed at
trumping its U.S. rival Boeing in the aviation universe.
Some 5,000 guests attended the Airbus inauguration,
including French President Jacques Chirac, who was flanked by
leaders from Spain, Germany and Britain.
With its shops, casino, gym, library and cocktail bar, the
double-decker A380 is a study in luxury, reminiscent of the days of
the now defunct Concord jet. Already, Airbus has received nearly 140
firm orders for the airliner, totaling $13 billion.
The first commercial flight is expected in 2006.
So far, only 60 airports are equipped to host the A380, and
several international hubs are having to make extra space.
Boeing is gambling that the aeronautics future is not about
colossal giants like the A380 that will fly only to major airports,
but rather about smaller craft flying to medium-sized hubs.
Boeing is due to unroll its more modest 7E7 Dreamliner in
early 2007.