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An Airbus jumbo jet plane made its first commercial flight on Monday at the Guangzhou Baiyun Airport in South China.
It departed the capital Beijing for the southern city of Guangzhou with more than five hundred passengers.
Onboard the jet was recently retired NBA star Yao Ming and the mayor of Guangzhou.
[Yao Ming, Passenger]:
"Flying on board the first A380 in our country is really different. I felt exceptionally comfortable, while the space available on other jets were quite narrow for me."
[Huang, Passenger]:
"It's spacious and perfect here, so I want to take some photos."
[Wang Zhe, Employee, China Southern Airlines]:
"There are about 150 seats on a Boeing 737 or Airbus 320, and number of seats on this A380 increased three times."
China has become the world's second-largest air travel market after the US, according to the International Air Transport Association.
The purchase of an A380 jet is part of China's efforts to accommodate surging air travel demands.
However, industry insiders say China's Civil Aviation needs to improve at the same rate at which it is expanding. Domestic flights experience constant delays due to crowded air space, as well as poor coordination between airlines and airports.
