After 18 months of delays and billions of dollars in cost overruns the first Airbus A380 landed in Singapore on Wednesday, just one week before the maiden commercial flight of the biggest passenger airliner ever built.

The Singapore Airlines (SIA) jet touched down at 1040 GMT at Changi Airport – a prelude to its first commercial flight next week on October 25th.

 "This is perhaps one of the most anticipated events in aviation history in this century," Bey Soo Khiang, the airline's senior executive president for operations and services, told journalists.

"This week, the game changes and we in Singapore Airlines are very proud to be the launch customer," Bey said.

"What you see tonight is not just a step but a quantum leap in the standards of air travel."

 The A380 will make its first commercial flight on October 25 between Singapore and Sydney.