>> Singapore to be Airbus A380's first Asian stop

AN AIRBUS A380 will visit Singapore - the first stop on its Asian tour - in November 2005. The 12-hour direct long-haul from Toulouse, France to Changi will be A380's longest flight to date and its first outside of Europe.

It will be a test flight of sorts for the prototype aircraft. The crew will monitor its first route-proving flight and test A380's capabilities en-route to Singapore. The mega-airbus will also stop at Sydney and Kuala Lumpur.

At Singapore Changi Airport, the aircraft will participate in trials including ground-handling, docking at the new A380 bay among others. Through these trials, Singapore Airlines and Singapore's Civil Aviation Authority hope to test airport systems enhanced to meet A380 requirements.

Infrastructure enhancements at Changi costing $68m include 19 new gates and larger embarkation rooms designed for A380 and its passengers.

After its flight-testing programme, airworthiness certification by France, Britain and the United States is scheduled by mid-2006. Following this, the first aircraft is planned for delivery to Singapore Airlines - A380's launch customer - by November 2006.

Singapore Airlines placed orders for ten aircraft and options for 15.