Airbus seeks U.S. buyers for world’s biggest airplane

When it comes to airplanes, does size matter? Airbus apparently thinks so. According to a report from the AP (via Boston.com), the France-based aircraft manufacturer’s A380, the largest passenger plane in the world, is on display for potential buyers in the U.S.

The A380 “can seat as many as 550 passengers, hold 81,890 gallons of fuel, cruise at 560 mph, and fly about 8,000 nautical miles.” At this point, the jumbo jet is only visiting the U.S., having landed at New York’s JFK airport yesterday (another A380 arrived in Los Angeles shortly thereafter). Airbus is hoping the buzz surrounding the airplane will entice U.S. airlines to pony up the cash—all $300 million of it—to actually buy one of the enormous planes. Given that domestic carriers are only now starting to dig out from years of bankruptcies, we may have to wait awhile before spotting any A380s in the skies overhead.

But that doesn’t mean the planes won’t be anywhere. As of January, Airbus already had 166 firm orders for its giant aircraft, 43 from Emirates alone.