Airbus courts China with A380 superjumbo test flight

SHANGHAI, China – The Airbus A380 superjumbo flew home Friday after stopovers in three of China’s biggest cities, visits symbolizing the company’s ambitions in the booming Chinese market, where the outlook for the colossal jet is mixed.

The 555-seat plane visited Guangzhou, Beijing and Shanghai on a swing through China this month, part of the process of winning its air-worthiness certification. It left Shanghai on Friday for its home base in Toulouse, France.

While technically a flight test, the visit gave Airbus the chance to generate buzz that it hopes will translate into orders.

“It’s a technical exercise, but it doesn’t hurt that it’s occurring in a country which Airbus sees as a natural market for the aircraft,” said Richard Pinkham, a Singapore-based analyst with the Center for Asia Pacific Aviation.

Despite world-leading growth in China’s aircraft market, just five of Airbus’ 166 orders for the A380 have come from China, all from Guangzhou-based China Southern Airlines, one of the country’s big three carriers. Neither of the other two, flag carrier Air China and Shanghai-based China Eastern, have announced plans for orders.