A380 to take on kangaroo route first

SYDNEY - Passengers flying the so-called kangaroo route - linking London and Sydney - with Singapore Airlines will be the first to experience the new super jumbo A380 jet.

The airline says it will fly the double-decker, long-haul planes from mid-2006.

The Airbus A380 was launched this week in Toulouse, France, in front of world leaders and global aviation executives, including Qantas Airways chief executive Geoff Dixon.

Qantas has ordered 12 A380 aircraft, with options for 10 more. The first Qantas aircraft will be delivered in October next year.

"The purchase of the A380 continues Qantas' multi-billion-dollar programme to provide the most up-to-date fleet," Dixon said.

He said the airline's first 12 A380s would enable the airline to fly at least 17 weekly services between Australia and Los Angeles and 14 weekly services between Australia and London via Bangkok, Hong Kong and Singapore.

The airline's capacity on each route would be bolstered by the use of long-range Boeing 747-400 aircraft.

Qantas and Airbus had been talking to authorities in Los Angeles and at Los Angeles International Airport, and were confident the airport would be ready to handle the A380.

Singapore Airlines has ordered 10 of the aircraft, which cost about US$260 million ($378 million) each.

Apart from the kangaroo route, it hopes to use the planes on routes from Australia to the US.

That may depend on talks between the Australian and Singaporean governments next month about opening up Australian skies to the carrier.

"Singapore Airlines is committed to the Australian market and we are delighted to be the first airline to fly the A380 here, offering our Australian customers the first opportunity to experience a new era in flying," said the airline's southwest Pacific communications manager, Samantha Stewart.

The planes, which measure the length of eight buses and have a wingspan of nearly 80m, are designed to carry 555 passengers but Singapore Airlines will offer passengers 500 seats in three classes.

Sydney Airport is planning to spend about A$100 million on upgrades to enable it to handle the giant aircraft.

London's Heathrow Airport has already budgeted £450 million ($1.2 billion) to prepare for the planes.

The size of the jets means they need wider than usual runways and taxiways - and double-decker loading ramps.