THE A380: AMBITION AT THE LARGEST SCALE
The A380 first flew on 27 April 2005. Airbus developed a full-length double-deck passenger aircraft with new materials, systems and manufacturing methods. Its 2025 anniversary account highlights the influence of that development on later products. The aircraft responded to a particular view of long-haul demand and hub capacity; it was not a larger A320. [32, First flight and technology development]
Commercial service began with Singapore Airlines on 25 October 2007. This date is separate from the first handover and the earlier test flight. The size of the aircraft created a distinctive passenger product and airport-operating context. Those achievements should be assessed separately from the commercial question of whether demand would sustain the expected manufacturing programme. [33, Service-entry FAQ and A380 story]
The comparison is instructive, but its operating boundary remains clear. An A380 hydraulic pressure or flight-control feature is not an A320-family specification. The Pro engineering chapters use A319/A320/A321 evidence for the simulated aircraft and leave the A380 in historical context. Common terminology can otherwise make a substantial architectural difference easy to miss. [4, A319/A320/A321 systems scope]