China Southern receives first Airbus A380 jumbo jet

China Southern Airlines on Saturday received Airbus' first delivery of A380 jumbo jet to finalize the preparation for its debut in the world's fastest growing aviation market. The A380 jumbo jet landed at the Beijing Capital International Airport (BCIA) Saturday morning and will start its maiden voyage from Beijing to Guangzhou, the provincial capital of southern Guangdong Province on Monday, said Tan Wangeng, a senior manager of China Southern. It is Airbus' first out of five A380 jets to be delivered by Airbus to China Southern, according to Airbus. The A380 jumbo jet will fly on commercial domestic route between Beijing and Guangzhou from Oct. 18-26 and between Beijing and Shanghai Pudong International Airport from Oct. 27-29. China Southern's A380 has a 506-seat cabin featuring eight luxury first-class suites, 70 flat-bed business-class seats and 428 economy-class seats. Currently, all tickets for first-class suites and business-class seats have been sold out on route between Beijing and Guangzhou, together with 80 percent of economy-class seats booked, according to China Southern. China Southern Airlines is the first operator of the A380 in China and the seventh globally.