By James Wilkinson

After several years of production delays, a Qantas Airbus A380 has finally flown a commercial flight for the first time between Melbourne and Los Angeles.

One of the egines of the new Qantas Airbus A380

Touching down in Los Angeles this morning (October 21), Flight QF93 flight was also the first time an A380 has been flown commercially to the US west coast.

The first service from Sydney — also to Los Angeles — will take off on October 24.

The A380 can carry up to 853 passengers. Qantas’s A380 has been configured to carry 450 passengers in four classes: 14 in First Class, 72 in Business Class, 32 in Premium Economy and 332 in Economy Class.

Qantas CEO, Geoff Dixon, said the airline would take delivery of three A380 aircraft by the end of the year and have eight in service by the end of 2009. Its total order of 20 would be delivered by the end of 2013.

“By the end of 2009, when our eighth aircraft has been delivered, Qantas will offer daily A380 services to Los Angeles from Melbourne,” Dixon said, adding that airline’s first A380 services to London, via Singapore, would commence in January next year.