September 02, 2007	Sunday	Sha'aban 19, 1428

BANGKOK, Sept 1: The Airbus A380 on Saturday hit an airport hangar in Bangkok, forcing the world's largest passenger jet to delay its takeoff on an demonstration Asian tour, an Airbus official said.

The bump caused slight damage to the left wing of the double-decker plane, the official said.

The A380 on Friday arrived in Bangkok, the first leg of its four-city Asian tour, and was to make a round trip from Bangkok to Thailand’s northern tourist hub, Chiang Mai, early on Saturday.

But the bump forced the plane to delay its departure for several hours, the official said, adding that the accident happened because of miscommunication between pilots and ground staff.

The super jumbo will fly to Hanoi Sunday and will be a showcase of Asia’s largest air show in Hong Kong as it is expected to fly across the city’s famous Victoria harbour on Monday.

The A380 will then arrive on Wednesday in Seoul, the last stop of the Airbus promotional tour.

Singapore Airlines is set to become the first company to fly the A380 on Oct 25 with a journey from Singapore to Sydney – its first commercial flight.

An online auction for that trip is underway with bidders offering thousands of dollars.—AFP