Qantas' new Airbus A380 arrives at Auckland International Airport. Photo / Greg Bowker
The world's largest passenger aircraft will be soaring above Auckland today.
The first Qantas A380 - named Nancy-Bird Walton in honour of the famous Australian aviator - touched down at Auckland Airport at 10.52 last night.
The huge plane will be making a promotional flight over Auckland that
will begin at 10am today and last for an hour and 15 minutes.
Qantas spokeswoman Kristy McSweeney said it was difficult to know where the best vantage points in the city would be to see the plane because it wasn't known the exact altitude it would be flying at.
That depended on variables such as the weather and what direction the plane took off in.
The Qantas A380 has 450 seats in four cabins, and 14 private suites which have swivel armchairs, a dining table and an extra large and wide bed. There is also a fold-out cocktail table.
At 73m long, the A380 is twice the length of the A320 that flies into Auckland on scheduled flights.
It is also twice as high at 24m, has a range of 15,000km and carries 310,000 litres of fuel.
Today's promotion is likely to be the only flight into New Zealand by a Qantas A380 for some time because the Australian flag carrier doesn't plan to have a scheduled service from Auckland using the new aircraft.
Emirates Airlines will begin the first scheduled commercial flight by an A380 aircraft from Auckland in February.
