Spectacular sending-off for A380

The Airbus A380 aircraft in full Emirates livery was given a spectacular sending-off, as the aircraft made one final showing along Dubai's Jumeirah Beach, accompanied by the Patrouille de France, the French acrobatic air force team.
The A380 flew past Dubai's iconic Burj Al Arab hotel and swept over the coast six times in different formations with nine jets from the Patrouille de France.
The magnificent air display wowed the crowds on the beach, many of whom broke into spontaneous applause when the world's largest commercial aircraft glided gracefully past the shoreline, flanked by the French acrobatic jets which streamed red, white and blue-coloured smoke.
The A380 has been one of the highlights at the Dubai Air Show last week, receiving a huge amount of interest from Dubai residents as well as international visitors to the Show. The aircraft will now return to Toulouse to complete its extensive test programme.
Dubai-based Emirates is the world's largest customer for the A380 aircraft. The airline expects the first of its 45 A380s on order to be delivered in early 2007.