Emirates unveils its superjumbo

(CNN) -- Emirates Airlines took delivery of its first Airbus A380 superjumbo Monday -- the first of 58 superjumbos the airline is buying.

The Dubai-based carrier's order is the largest yet placed for the new plane.

It took delivery of the first one at the Airbus plant in Hamburg, Germany, and the A380 will fly from Hamburg to Dubai on Tuesday.

And Emirates also announced Monday that it has ordered a further 30 A350-XWB and another 30 A330-300s aircraft, The Associated Press reported.

Emirates' inaugural flight from Dubai to New York will take place on August 1. Other destinations scheduled to be served by the A380 are London, Sydney and Auckland.

Monday's unveiling of the Emirates A380 offered the first chance to compare the onboard standard set. The airline has said its A380 gives travelers an "unrivaled" experience.

Emirates plans to offer different passenger capacity, starting with 489 seats -- 14 in first, 76 in business, and 399 in economy. A three-class cabin with 517 seats will follow, along with a two-class cabin with 604 seats further down the line.

Emirates has signed a letter of intent to buy 60 more Airbus planes, comprising 30 A330-300s and 30 A350s, its chief executive Sheikh Ahmed ibn Said al-Maktoum said in Hamburg Monday.

Emirates is the biggest and fastest-growing airline in the Middle East, and has withstood the rising price of fuel which has caused major concern for carriers around the world.

The airline has had a long wait for delivery of the A380 after repeated Airbus delays. The first plane had initially been scheduled for delivery in October 2007.

The A380 completed its maiden commercial journey last October on a Singapore Airlines flight to Sydney, Australia.

The aircraft was carrying nearly 500 passengers and crew, with some passengers bidding up to $100,000 for a seat on the trip.

In a typical three-class configuration, the A380 can seat about 525 people. The next largest passenger aircraft, the Boeing 747, seats about 420 in the same configuration.

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