Spectators watch the world's biggest airliner, the Airbus A380, taking off on its maiden flight Wednesday at the Toulouse Blagnac airport in France.
BLAGNAC, France - The world’s largest passenger plane, the Airbus A380, successfully took off on its maiden flight Wednesday, a milestone for aviation and for the European aircraft-maker’s battle with American rival Boeing Co.
The giant plane’s four engines hauled its double-decked, 308-ton fuselage aloft at 10:29 a.m., an achievement watched by thousands of spectators 101 years after the Wright brothers first mastered controlled, sustained flight.
The plane was carrying a crew of six and 22 tons of on-board test instruments. Its first flight was expected to last between two and four hours....