The Airbus A380 at IGI airport in New Delhi on Sunday. Picture by Ramakant Kushwaha

New Delhi, May 6: The world’s largest passenger plane — the Airbus A380 — flew into Delhi today in its maiden trip to the country.

Onlookers cheered as the aircraft circled twice over New Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport before a touchdown. The airport, which was privatised last year, cleaned the grass shoulders on both sides of the runway to make way for the aircraft’s wings, which span nearly a football field.

It has a wingspan of 79.8 metres, a length of 73 metres and a maximum take-off weight of more than 540,000 kg.

Delhi and Mumbai airports plan to widen their runways to 60 metres from 45 metres to handle wide-bodied aircraft such as the A380.

The powerful engines of the jet cost Rs 55,000 crore and took 10 years to develop. The aircraft flew directly from the Airbus headquarters in Toulouse, France.

Airbus plans to formally unveil the four-engine, 22-wheeled aircraft at a press conference on Monday. It will take the media, prospective buyers and officials of the civil aviation ministry on test flights on Tuesday.

The 555-seater jet (a different version can carry 850 passengers in a double-decker format) can store more than 3 lakh litres of aviation fuel, cruise at 900 km per hour and fly 8,000 miles non-stop. The aircraft has arrived to mark the second anniversary celebrations of Kingfisher Airlines. The airline has ordered five A380s and the first of these planes are expected to be delivered in 2010-11.

Last year, the government decided to make four airports — Delhi, Mumbai, Calcutta and Chennai — ready for A380 flights with suitable runways and parking bays. Officials now say that Hyderabad too will be made ready for the aircraft.

However, airline officials are sceptical about the pace of modernisation at the major airports in the country.

According to them, most airports were suffering from congestion with new airlines cropping up and existing players adding new flights. Most aircraft at Delhi and Mumbai airports have to circle over the city for up to half an hour before getting the clearance to land.

But airlines may opt for aircraft that can carry a large number of passengers to tide over the problem. Earlier this year, Airbus officials said they were in talks with another Indian airline for selling A380s, which have a list price of about $292 million.

Airbus, which was created by a consortium of aerospace companies, has heralded the A380 as a triumph of European innovation and cooperation. The manufacturer has firm orders and commitments for 166 aircraft from 15 customers.

The first A380 will be deployed in regular commercial service with Singapore Airlines later this year.

The A380 has completed a successful series of route proving flights, underscoring the aircraft’s ability to operate at gateways around the world.