The planemaker, the core business of European aerospace group EADS, prepared to mark the end of a lengthy certification process at a ceremony at its Toulouse headquarters at 1400 GMT.

The airworthiness certificates from both European and US aviation authorities are a vital step towards getting the 555-seat double-decker into service.

Such a step usually comes shortly before the first delivery of a new plane to airlines.

But Airbus was forced to scrap plans to deliver the first aircraft to Singapore Airlines this month after repeated wiring installation problems pushed the first delivery back to October 2007 and plunged EADS into management turmoil in the summer.

Although the aircraft has passed months of flight tests in extreme conditions and impressed aviation enthusiasts the world over, successive delays and profit warnings mean deliveries are now on average two years behind schedule.

Angry airlines want penalties from Airbus.

Some had launched a marketing blitz connected to the new plane, which is designed to offer luxury frills that can be customised for each airline.

US parcel service FedEx became the first A380 customer to cancel an order last month, switching from the freight version of the plane to Boeing's 777.

Thai Airways International gave a warning earlier this month that it would cancel its order for six A380s if talks on compensation for delayed delivery failed.

Thai Airways, 69 per cent owned by the government and state agencies, will make a final decision after its board meets on Dec.

19, airline President Apinan Sumanaseni said.

Airbus has sold a total of 149 A380s after deducting the 10 originally ordered by FedEx.

The aircraft was conceived as the A3XX in 1997 and the project was formally launched as the A380 in December 2000.

Industry sources say it cost an estimated 12 billion euros to develop.

But critics say Airbus bet on the wrong plane.

Boeing turned its back on the ultra-large market to focus on building a mid-sized twinjet for long-haul travel, the fuel-efficient 787 Dreamliner which has notched up sales of more than 450 planes.

After a false start and doubts over funding, Airbus hit back with the development launch of a rival aircraft, the A350 XWB, last week.

The new plane will cost EADS 10 billion euros to develop and will enter service in 2013, five years behind the 787.

Airbus insists it was right to back the A380, however, due to rising passenger numbers and pressures on airport capacity.

Nampa-AFP

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