The world's biggest ever passenger plane Airbus A380 made its debut Tuesday in Blagnac near Toulouse in southern France before thousands of VIP guests, including leaders of the four countries investing in the program to build the jumbo jet.

The A380 is believed to top the 747s of the American Boeing company that have ruled the market of super-jumbos for the past 25 years.

Among the distinguished guests present at the unveiling ceremony were French President Jacques Chirac, British Prime Minister Tony Blair, German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder and Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero, four founding countries of the super-jumbo that cost at least 10 billion euors (13 billion US dollars) in 10 years.

Representatives from the world's major airlines were also invited to the american-style show, among them Singapore Airlines,which will be the first to use the super-jumbo for its London-Singapore airline in April 2006.

The first test flight of the plane is scheduled at the end of March or at the beginning of April, according to Airbus chief Noel Forgeard.

The plane being showed on Tuesday is the first prototype, whilethree others are being assemblaged at the plane-maker's plant in Blagnac.

A380 is a double-decker mastodon with a wingspan of 80 meters, an overall length of 73 meters, and a height of 24 meters. A typical one can take on board 555 passengers, while in a charter configuration it can carry up to 840 people.

Air France will use the plane for its Paris-New York airline asearly as in April 2007, Air France's chief Jean-Cyril Spinetta told French private radio Europe 1.

Airbus has already 139 orders from 13 airlines with a catalogueprice of between 263 and 286 million dollars each.