Having the official title of ‘Launch Client’ carries risk and reward. Revealing a new type of aircraft to the world can be a great marketing opportunity that could attract a lot of positive attention and additional business for the airline. Of course, there is also the risk of delays in the program and unexpected technical difficulties after commissioning. So which airline took this risk on the Airbus A380 and became the plane’s first customer? Let’s find out.
Development of the A380 program
The A380 was revealed to the world on January 18, 2005. Naturally, there was great excitement surrounding the aircraft: the world’s largest commercial passenger jet with two full passenger decks.
At this presentation in 2005, national leaders from Great Britain, France, Spain and Germany joined more than 5,000 guests, including customers, suppliers and hundreds of journalists, to witness the presentation of the aircraft.
Before the first commercial delivery, there were already 14 launch customers and 149 orders for the A380. According to Airbus, the unveiling ceremony took place at the A380 Final Assembly Facility. It featured fireworks, dry ice, lasers, dancers, and projected images of all the Airbus planes flying down the aisle.
The next significant milestone after the plane’s reveal would be its first flight. This took place on April 27, 2005 and lasted three hours and 54 minutes. Here is what Airbus and its test pilots had to say about the flight:
“The flight could not have been more perfect. Later, Rosay said flying the largest passenger plane the world had ever seen was “like riding a bicycle.” And Lelaie was excited: “Now we really feel the potential of this great machine.”
Singapore Airlines was the launch customer of the Airbus A380. In fact, the first A380 was delivered to the airline on October 15, 2007. Given the scale of the plane and its innovative achievements, the delivery ceremony was always going to be a big problem.
The ceremony included speeches by Airbus President and CEO Tom Enders, who called the new generation aircraft “without a doubt the defining plane of his generation. “ There were also comments from Rolls Royce CEO John Rose and Singapore Airlines CEO Chew Choon Seng.
The time has changed
Unfortunately, even before a global health crisis hit the aviation industry hard, the A380 program had been closed. In fact, in recent years, Singapore Airlines had shed its A380s, and one was sold to wet leasing operator Hi-Fly.
The 9V-SKA, the first A380 delivered to Singapore Airlines (and pictured above), was stored in 2017 and then sadly scrapped in 2019.
While Singapore Airlines still retains its A380s, it only has 12 listings as assets, with several planes parked in long-term storage in the Australian desert.
Have you flown on the Singapore Airlines A380? Share your experience with us in the comments.
