Airbus woos India with superjumbo

Airbus hopes to generate more Indian interest in the A380

An Airbus A380 superjumbo has landed in New Delhi, marking the first time the giant jet has flown to India.

The debut trip is designed to test the ability of Indian airports in dealing with the A380 and raise the profile of the jet's only Indian customer so far.

Indian airline Kingfisher has ordered five double-decker A380s as part of a wider $3bn (£1.5bn) Airbus deal.

Production delays with the troubled A380 project have led to heavy losses at the European plane-maker.

In February, Airbus said it planned to cut 10,000 jobs across Europe as part of a major restructuring drive.

New carriers

Kingfisher, which is owned by the Indian company which makes Kingfisher beer, expects to take delivery of the first of its five A380 jets in 2011.

The airline has drawn up plans to start international flights, and hopes to use the A380 on key routes to the US.

India's domestic airline industry has been booming, with new carriers such as Kingfisher benefiting from heavy growth in demand as the country's economy expands.

The Airbus A380 is due to fly a select group of passengers around New Delhi before heading on to India's financial capital, Mumbai.