IN A welcome fit for the 'new queen in the sky', the world's first Airbus 380 superjumbo landed at Changi Airport at about 6.40pm on Wednesday to a water cannon salute.

It is a privilege reserved for the very special and the double-decker jet christened 9V-SKA on the Singapore aircraft register is believed to the first to receive such an honour at Changi.

Dressed in SIA's livery, the giant bird - as long as a soccer pitch and with a tail seven storeys high - flew in in from the the Airbus headquarters in Toulouse.

It was towed into position and docked at the soon-to-be-opened Terminal 3, where Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and about several hundred guests had gathered since 6pm in eager anticipation.

The giant bird's flight to Singapore was piloted by a four-member SIA crew led by chief A-380 pilot Captain Robert Ting.

SIA received its new giant baby - the biggest commercial plane ever built - on Monday from Airbus in a glitzy event in Toulouse.

It was attended by over 500 suppliers, guests and media from around the world.

SIA, the first to operate the new plane, will commence its inaugural A-380 flight to Sydney on Oct 25.

From Oct 28, the plane will be put into regular commercial service, flying once a day on the Singapore-Sydney route.

SIA which has signed for 19 of the planes also plans to fly them to London, Tokyo, Hong Kong and San Francisco next year.

So far, 16 airlines worlwide have ordered 180 of the superjumbos that can each carry more than 500 passengers in a three-class configuration - over 100 more passengers than the Boeing 747 which is the biggest plane now in commercial service.

SIA is fitting its aircraft with just 471 seats - 12 suites, 60 in business class and 399 in economy - to offer customers more space and luxury.

Unveiled for the first time in Toulouse on Monday, the private suites, tagged as 'beyond first-class" drew plenty of wows.

Each is a personal cabin complete with a seat and a separate bed, which can be folded against the wall when not in use.

Travellers in business and economy class also get more comfort with the widest seats and biggest personal entertainment screens in the sky.

Seats in business class are 34 inches wide, compared to 20 inches on the B-747 which the new giant is meant to replace. Each seat also comes with a 15.4-inch in-flight entertainment screen.

In economy, seats are 19 inches wide, about two inches more than those on the Boeing jumbo. In-flight entertainment screens are 10.6 inches wide.

The aircraft has three floors, connected by stairs in the front and rear.

Passengers will be seated on the two top decks, while the bottom deck carries cargo.

But luxury comes at a price, and at the top end, travellers can expect to pay 25 per cent more than what they now pay for the Boeing 747.

The increases, however, will be more moderate for economy class seats.

SIA chief executive officer Chew Choon Seng said at the delivery ceremony: 'From today there is a new queen in the sky.'