Qantas takes delivery of first A380

12:00PM Saturday Sep 20, 2008

Qantas is excited about the possibilities of the new A380, says CEO Geoff Dixon. Photo / AP

Australian carrier Qantas Airways accepted the first of the 20 A380s it has on order at a ceremony in the southern French city of Toulouse today.

The 525-seat, A-380 has been plagued by delays due to missteps, technical setbacks, communication failures and financial improprieties that have tarnished Airbus’ image. The first in a series of costly delays was announced in June 2005.

Qantas Chief Executive Geoff Dixon said the airline was forced to “aggressively” adapt its flight schedules because of the Airbus delays, but said he was so pleased with the A380 that he was already considering ordering more.

Without the delays, Qantas would already have eight to 12 A380s by now, Dixon said,

“It’s two years and two months behind,” Dixon said. “But that’s history, we’ve adapted. We’d have liked to have the aircraft, but we’re getting it now, and we’ll probably get more.”

Dixon declined to say exactly how many additional A380s Qantas was thinking about ordering. Qantas expects to receive three more of the superjumbos by the end of this year.