A year and a half of delays and billions of lost dollars later, Airbus has finally delivered the first A380 to Singapore Airlines. Hundreds of people were on hand at the Airbus Delivery Centre in Toulouse, France to witness the occasion…

The lead-up to getting the world’s largest commercial airliner delivered has been marred by production setbacks and quite a bit of controversy, with allegations of insider trading surfacing. Despite all the problems, though, the Airbus Camp (including Chief executive Thomas Enders) is energized by the delivery and optimistic about the A380’s future:

“‘I realise how unsettling recent times, particularly the last 18 months, have been, but that only serves to make this achievement all the more impressive,’ Mr Enders told Airbus employees at the ceremony.” (From BBC News)

Airline industry insiders and airplane aficionados see the Airbus A380 and Boeing’s Dreamliner as the future of commercial aviation, believing these jumbo jets will change the way consumers travel and the way airlines do business. However, in recent weeks, Boeing has experienced production delays with its Dreamliner similar to those that occurred with the A380, and some question whether either plane will live up to the hype.

At least we’ll get our chance to see the Airbus A380 in action soon. It’s maiden voyage on Singapore Airlines is scheduled for an October 25th flight to Sydney. For the time, Airbus might steal a bit of Boeing’s thunder, but once the Dreamliner gets back on track, the competition should heat up again, and we’ll see just how big of an impact these two big planes really have.