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SINGAPORE - An Australian man has paid S$152,898 ($143,995) for two first class tickets on the maiden commercial flight of the world's biggest passenger plane, Singapore Airlines said yesterday.
The plane, an Airbus A380, is scheduled to take off from Singapore for Sydney on October 25.
An airline spokesman said that Australian businessman Julian Hayward bought the premium one-way tickets in a charity auction.
Singapore Airlines, the world's biggest carrier by stock market value and the first to fly the A380 commercially, put all tickets for the 471-seater up for sale on online auction website eBay on August 27. Bidding will close on September 10.
So far, more than 100 tickets have been sold, raising a total of $400,000.
Franco-German plane maker Airbus is scheduled to hand over the first A380 jet to Singapore Airlines on October 15, ending a frustrating two-year wait that cost Airbus parent EADS billions of dollars.
The carrier said in a statement it would also auction tickets for the plane's October 26 Sydney-Singapore return flight.
Auction prices are starting at US$3.80 for economy class, US$38 for business class, and US$380 for first class seats.
- REUTERS
