Airbus has delivered the first A380 aircraft to China Southern Airlines, under a firm five-aircraft order, at its delivery centre in Toulouse, France.

The 506-seat aircraft, powered by Rolls-Royce Trent 900 engines, includes eight luxury first-class suites, 70 lie-flat business-class seats and 428 economy-class seats.

The A380 is capable of flying 8,300nm.

Initially, the airline will deploy the aircraft on domestic routes between the major Chinese cities of Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou before later deploying it on international routes.