Industry First ANA A380 rolls out of assembly line

The first of three Airbus A380 for Japanese carrier All Nippon Airlines (ANA) has rolled out of the final assembly line in Toulouse, France. It has been moved to an outside station on Airbus´ apron in Toulouse-Blagnac.

It is expected, that the aircraft will undergo various ground tests in the near future. These tests include highspeed- and normal speed taxi-tests and a rejected take off (RTO). If all tests have been positive, the aircraft is ready to start to its first flight.

The first flight will be accomplished in the next weeks. MSN 262 will then be transferred to Hamburg, Germany, where the aircraft will receive the cabin installation and painting. In April 2018, ANA has announced, that it will paint all three A380 aircraft in different liveries. The aircraft are named Kani, Kai and Ka La and show a big turtle over the fuselage. This is to represent the vibrant colors of Hawaii, ANA´s first A380 destination.

All three A380s will be configurated in a four-class version. While eight passengers can be seated in First Class, 56 passengers can be accommodated in Business Class. 73 Premium-Economy seats and 383 Economy seats bring the overall capacity of the A380 to 520 passengers.

Initially, ANA placed a firm order for the A380s in 2016 and is set to become Japan´s first A380 customer. In the first quarter of 2019, MSN 262 will be delivered to the airline. Currently, Airbus has delivered 229 A380s overall. 14 airlines worldwide operate with the aircraft, including wet-leasing company Hifly.

All Nippon Airways (ANA) is the largest carrier in Japan. Its fleet consists of 227 aircraft, including 5 Airbus A320neos, six A320ceos, 5 A321neos, 6 A321ceos, 44 Boeing B737 Next Gen., 46 B767s, 50 B777s and 65 B787s. Subsidiary airline ANA wings flies with 36 aircraft. ANA currently serves 102 destinations in 26 countries.