After landing in America for the 1st time, the planet’s biggest passenger plane is about to tour a sequence of major airfields in the country. With around 550 seats and a wing-span the scale of a soccer pitch, the Airbus A380 superjumbo is a behemoth.

Two planes flew at the same time for the launch, the 1st landing in N.Y at once followed by another in LA, and both were welcomed by entertaining crowds. Stops are also prepared at Washington and Chicago for the airplane, which Airbus hopes will rival Boeing’s leading 747 aircraft.

Edmund Greenslet, of trade mag Airline Monitor, informed the NY Times : “When you see it fly, even toughened aeroplane hands stop and look. “It will be spotted. It is dramatic. To see it is to be impressed by its sheer magnitude.” But Airbus still has to convince any US airlines to buy the planes, thought to cost around £150 million to purchase. The A380 made its maiden test flight back in Apr 2005, taking off from Toulouse before circling round the Bay of Biscay.