When the world’s largest passenger airliner took to the skies 10 years ago Monday, the double-decker jet was hailed as the next generation in air travel.

The specs of the Airbus A380 were -- and remain -- impressive in scope: a maximum seating capacity of 853; two passenger decks equal to three single tennis courts; and a take-off thrust equal to the horsepower of 2,500 family cars.

Designed specifically to eclipse its main competitor and reigning king of the skies, the Boeing 747, the A380 was hailed as a game changer in the industry when it took off on its maiden flight across southwest France April 27, 2005.

While the 747 was known as the jumbo jet, the A380 would up the ante in superlatives and take up the nickname Superjumbo.

A decade later, more than a dozen airlines operate 156 of the so-called Superjumbos, shuttling about 3 million passengers a month to 45 destinations around the world.

Here are some other factoids about the A380, which remains the largest civil aircraft in the world, 10 years after making its maiden flight:

-An A380 takes off and lands every 4 minutes.

-The A380’s maximum seating capacity is 853 versus 660 on the 747-400.

-The maiden A380 flight took place in Toulouse, while the first commercial flight was operated by Singapore Airlines in October 2007.

-Emirates has the largest fleet of Superjumbos with 59, followed by Singapore Airlines (19), Lufthansa (13) and Qantas (12).

-Airbus claims its A380 is the quietest cabin in the sky, registering half the noise of the 747-400.

-Passengers on the A380 get 15 percent more stowage space for cabin baggage compared to the 747-400.

-Economy class cabins are configured to fit 11 passengers in a row and offer 18-inch seats compared to 10-abreast rows on the 747 with 17-inch seats.

-More than half of the A380’s capacity is within the Asia-Pacific region.
Source: Relaxnews