Big Jet To Put On Show For Airline VIPs

There’s a lot of buzz about the A380 going on at the Minneapolis St. Paul International Airport, but none of it is as big as the aircraft. Later this month the double-decker, seven-story-tall plane will come to MSP, to see how much buzz Airbus can get.

The event is scheduled for November 27, and the bets are on for the superjumbo getting attention, according to TwinCities.com... in particular, Airbus hopes, from Northwest Airlines.

"I think they're doing it as a thank you to us for being such a good customer," said Tammy Lee, a spokeswoman for Northwest. "They want to show it off in key markets."

Northwest operates the largest fleet of the wide-body Airbus A330, with 32 in service. The airline -- fresh from bankruptcy -- has no A380s on order... but when the colossal jet shows up, a limited number of its employees will get a chance to either tour or go on a test flight. Local VIPs and media are expected to get a showing.

The jet is scheduled to land at MSP the night of November 26. After its visit to colder climes, the airliner will fly off to the west coast for its Hollywood premiere.

Where the Airbus A380 goes, so do its fans. When the A380 landed in Sydney, Australia, last month on its first commercial flight, the airport was surrounded by aviation onlookers.

Singapore Airlines, the first A380 customer to take delivery of the plane, is showing the plane off on the Singapore, Sydney and London route.

Orders for the A380 are slow in coming, and now stand at 165. The airliner entered service 22 months later than originally planned, due to delays over miles of wiring in the aircraft.

Airbus expects to sell 750 A380s, and reportedly must sell 420 to break even.

Northwest Airlines is in the middle of a $6 billion plan to rebuild its fleet with new aircraft. On order is the Boeing 787 "Dreamliner," which starts arriving early in 2009 in hopes to bolster Northwest International routes.

As for Northwest changing its plans regarding the A380, officials don't think so.

"It doesn't fit with our current fleet or our route plans," Lee said.

FMI: www.nwa.com, www.mspairport.com/msp/default.aspx