TOULOUSE, France - Airbus delivered the first A380 to China Southern Airlines at a handover ceremony on Friday at the Airbus Delivery Center in Toulouse.

Airbus Chief Executive Officer Tom Enders (2nd R, centre) and Si Xianmin (2nd L, bottom), chairman of China Southern Airlines, attend a ceremony to deliver the first Airbus A380 to China Southern Airlines at the Airbus Delivery Centre in Colomiers near Toulouse Oct 14, 2011. [Photo/Agencies]

The aircraft was the first out of five to be delivered by Airbus President and CEO Tom Enders to China Southern Airlines Chairman Si Xianmin. It makes China Southern Airlines the first operator of the A380 in China and the seventh globally.

Powered by Rolls-Royce Trend-900 engines, the aircraft will be initially operated on domestic routes between the major Chinese cities of Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou. Later on, the airline deploy the A380 on international routes.

At the ceremony, China Southern Airlines unveiled its 506-seat A380 cabin featuring a three-class configuration, including 8 luxury first-class suites, 70 flat-bed business-class seats and 428 economy-class seats. The cabin also offers seats and lavatories that are easily accessible to disabled passengers.

"We are proud to become the first A380 operator in China," said Si Xianmin. "The introduction of the A380 in our fleet is a very important step for the development of China Southern Airlines. This most spacious and modern aircraft enables us to offer our passengers world-standard comfort on our flights," he added.

"We offer China Southern Airlines our warmest wishes as the newest operator of the A380," said Airbus' Tom Enders.

Since entering service in 2007, the eco-friendly A380 has transported some 16 million passengers to date, according to Airbus.

The superjumbo's spacious cabin provides carriers higher-than-average capacity and increased profitability. Typically seating 525 passengers in a three-class layout, the A380 is capable of flying 8,300 nautical miles or 15,300km per flight.