The world's largest airliner Airbus A380 will arrive in China on October 23 to go on show to the Chinese public for the first time, the Airbus Beijing office said on Tuesday.

The China tour of the jumbo airliner is scheduled for between October 23 and 29 in three cities: Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou.

Airbus will operate demonstration flights and showcase a fully equipped and decorated A380.

The A380 for the China mission, coded MSN007, is capable of carrying 519 passengers, and some Chinese passengers might have the chance to fly with the airliner, the office said.

The A380, which burns 2.9 liters of gasoline per passenger for every hundred kilometers, can fly 15,000 kilometers, 15 percent more than its peers, while the operational cost is 20 percent less.

To date, the A380 has received 185 orders or commitments from 15 customers worldwide, five of which come from China Southern.

The first A380 is scheduled to be delivered to Singapore Airlines on October 15, and is expected to see its official commercial flight on October 25.

(Xinhua News Agency October 10, 2007)