A380 makes successful maiden flight (27/4/05)

The maiden flight of the first Airbus A380 took place this morning at 0930h BST.

Watched by thousands of proud and excited employees of Airbus, EADS and their suppliers, as well as dignitaries, aviation experts and fans as well as a watching world's press, the aircraft took off without drama or incident to applause and cheering from the watching crowd.

Orders for the A380 super-jumbo have now exceeded 150, and despite experts in the USA downplaying the A380's viability and the loss of a major sale to Air Canada, European industry experts were unanimous in their praise of the latest grandchild of Concorde and its future prospects.

Photo courtesy BBC News 24.