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Airbus Unveils Monster Passenger Jet Tuesday, January 18, 2005 TOULOUSE, France — Airbus showed off its giant A380, a double-decked behemoth that could revolutionize long-haul flying, at a lavish ceremony Tuesday with European leaders gathered for the first official look at the world's largest passenger plane. Airbus (search) is betting its newfound status as the world's leading jet maker on the 'superjumbo,' which has a 262-foot wingspan, a tail as tall as a seven-story building and cost $13 billion to develop. French President Jacques Chirac (search), as well as the leaders of Britain, Germany and Spain — Airbus' other three government backers — and CEOs from the 14 airlines and freight transporters that have so far ordered the A380 attended the elaborate ceremony at company headquarters in Toulouse (search), southern France. Chirac called the A380 'a veritable liner of the skies' and said its debut 'is for all of us a moment of emotion and pride.' 'Your adventure is a great success for Europe,' he told Airbus workers. The show before almost 5,000 guests debuted with music, clouds of dry ice and dancers in the hangar where A380s are assembled, one of the largest enclosed spaces in Europe. Projected images of planes from the Airbus range sped across the hangar walls and dancers suspended on wires appeared to walk on thin air. Children tugged on white cords to pull down a curtain, unveiling the plane lit in blue behind. The launch of the A380 seemed certain to become a milestone in civil aviation history alongside the 747 and Concorde (search). Unlike the supersonic Concorde, however, whose claim to fame was how fast it crossed the Atlantic, this latest fruit of European aerospace cooperation will ultimately be judged on how fast it makes money. Airbus has already taken 149 orders for the $280 million plane, 'which for a plane of this size that has not yet flown is an extraordinary commercial performance,' Airbus CEO Noel Forgeard said.
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