The A380 was unveiled in a lavish ceremony in Toulouse, France, on January 18, 2005. Its Manufacturer's serial number (MSN) was 001 with the registrat

The new Airbus will initially be sold in two versions: the A380-800, a full double-decker configuration, with the ability to carry 555 passengers, in a three-class configuration, or up to 800 passengers in a single economy configuration, for 8,000 nautical miles (14,800 km), and the A380-800F dedicated freighter, to carry 150 tons for 5,600 miles (10,400 km).
Airbus operates 16 manufacturing sites across Europe, most of which produce parts for the new A380 airliner.