British Airways gets first Airbus A380 in fleet upgrade

British Airways (BA) welcomed its first Airbus A380, the world's biggest commercial aircraft, yesterday as part of a €11.6 billion upgrade to top-of-the-range aircraft that it hopes will give it a boost in the lucrative market for long-haul business travel.

The emergence of the fuel-efficient, double-decker through the grey clouds over Heathrow airport in west London yesterday was greeted by hundreds of BA staff and spectators.

The first long-haul flight on the A380 will fly to Los Angeles on September 24th, the British flag carrier said, earlier than the originally planned October start.

BA, part of International Airlines Group, got the first of its new Boeing 787 Dreamliners last month, making it the first airline in Europe to fly both new aircraft once commercial operations begin. – Reuters