Largest Passenger Plane Lands at SFO for First time

About 100 people gathered at in Millbrae today to witness the Airbus 380, the world’s largest passenger plane, touch down at San Francisco International Airport for the first time.

The inaugural flight originated in Frankfurt, Germany, and landed at 11:56 a.m. today, and Lufthansa, which will operate the A380 daily to and from SFO, raffled two round-trip tickets to anywhere Europe to the crowd at Bayfront Park.

“San Francisco has been an important and successful gateway for Lufthansa for more than 50 years,” said Lufthansa CEO Carsten Spohr in a statement.

The double-decker plane seats 526 passengers, and Lufthansa claims the first class cabin is the quietest in commercial aviation.

The A380 also burns about 12 percent less fuel than other big passenger jets, according to Lufthansa.

Lufthansa’s A380 service currently operates only out of New York City and San Francisco domestically, and four other international airports. 

“SFO’s International Terminal was designed and built to accommodate the A380,” said Aiprort Director John L. Martin in a statement. 

SFO is only one of six airports with gates big enough for the A380.