The Airbus A380, the world's largest commercial airliner, took its first passengers aloft on a test flight on Monday, as the company announced a fresh management shakeup to grapple with delays plaguing the superjumbo.
"It's fabulous, impressive," gushed Ludovic Lesbats, one of 474 Airbus employees who volunteered for a seven-hour flight designed to test the plane's cabin arrangements.
Passengers speaking to reporters after the 6,500km trip across Europe hailed the aircraft's quietness and the comfort of its interior.
PHOTO: AP
"We didn't feel the take-off ... and people could move about without any discomfort," Lesbats said.
The flight started at Toulouse-Blagnac airport in southwestern France and took passengers over a swathe of Europe from Corsica to Britain.
Three more such test flights are planned up till next Friday, lasting seven to 14 hours and one of which will be at night.
On the ground on Monday the new president and chief executive of Airbus, Christian Streiff, moved decisively to overcome production problems, removing the head of the A380 program and preparing to unveil special measures by the end of this month.
Managing the development of the A380 is now the job of Mario Heinen, from Luxembourg, formerly responsible for the medium-haul A320. He replaces Charles Champion, who becomes a special adviser to Streiff.
Champion is the the third high-ranking executive to pay a personal price for the difficulties the A380 program has encountered.
The Airbus parent EADS, the European Aeronautics Defense and Space Co, announced in June that deliveries of the A380 to commercial customers would be delayed by at least a year because of production setbacks.
That revelation, coupled with a warning that EADS could suffer a US$2.6 billion decline in operational earnings by 2010, jolted the company and prompted the resignation of EADS co-chief executive Noel Forgeard and Airbus president Gustav Humbert.
Foregeard was replaced by Louis Gallois, head of France's state railway SNCF and Humbert by Streiff.
The removal of Champion as director of the A380 program is one of boldest actions to date by Streiff, who in July shortly after his appointment announced an Airbus audit to serve as a basis for productivity boosting measures.
Airbus has said the conclusions of the study will be made known at the end of this month.
The company at that time is expected to draw up a new delivery timetable for the A380. Singapore Airlines is to receive the first A380 for commercial use in December, six months behind schedule.
To date 16 airline companies have ordered 159 of the superjumbos, which can carry up to 840 passengers.
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