The New Nation - Internet Edition

AFP, Singapore

The Airbus A380, the world's biggest passenger plane, took off Tuesday from Singapore's Changi Airport for its inaugural commercial flight to London, the jet's first European destination. Flight SQ308, operated by A380 launch customer Singapore Airlines (SIA), departed Changi Airport's new Terminal 3 at 9:19 am (0119 GMT), an AFP reporter at the airport said. The flight, carrying 449 passengers, is scheduled to land at London's Heathrow Airport around 12-13 hours later with the return leg to arrive in Singapore on Wednesday afternoon, SIA said in a statement. SIA said 17 passengers from nine countries who had flown on the world's first ever A380 commercial flight from Singapore to Sydney in October last year were also on board the inaugural flight to London. Among them were Isabelle Chu from Australia's western city of Perth. "I would describe it as an expensive hobby but it is better than buying an LV (Louis Vuitton) bag," Chu, who runs a travel agency, told AFP before boarding.