Two Airbus A380 airliners will make their first US test flights on March 19, landing in New York and Los Angeles, Airbus company said on Monday.
The two A380s, the world's largest civilian airliner, will take off from Germany's Frankfurt and France's Toulouse with 500 special guests on each board, the European aircraft manufacturer said.
The MSN7 flight from Frankfurt to John F. Kennedy Airport in New York will take off on March 19 and then fly on to Chicago.
On March 21, it will return to Frankfurt from New York before flying to China's Hong Kong on March 24 and to Washington DC the next day.
The aim of the test flights are to optimize all kinds of facilities and systems on the plane that has been put into operation within a certain number of flights and under normal management, according to Airbus.
The MSN1 aircraft, which will land in Los Angeles, will undergo tests of its operational measures after landing at the airport, such as capabilities of terminal parking, luggage transport and refueling.
The A380, which can carry between 555 and 845 passengers depending on seat configuration, has made test flights to 40 airports around the world. But owing to several factors, Airbus has delayed deliveries of the A380s to various airlines recently, which have resulted in huge economic losses for the company.
(Xinhua News Agency March 13, 2007)