Aviation history was made today as Qantas became the first airline to operate a commercial passenger flight on the Airbus A380 between Australia and the US West Coast. The new A380 'superjumbo' aircraft, operating as Qantas Flight QF 93 landed on Runway 25L at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) early this morning, October 20, 2008, after a scheduled flight from Melbourne, Australia. The flight was met at LAX by celebrities and government officials, including actor John Travolta, Australian singer Olivia Newton-John and Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, among others.Qantas took delivery of its first A380 (registration number VH-OQA) last month. The aircraft is powered by four Rolls-Royce Trent 900 engines, and is configured with 450 seats in four cabins. On the main deck are 14 first class suites, and 332 economy seats. The upper deck has 72 business class seats, plus 32 premium economy seats.
Today's flight was the Qantas A380's first scheduled passenger service. Later this week, on October 24, 2008, the new aircraft will be used for the first time on the Sydney-Los Angeles route.
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