Airbus A380 taxis to its gate during its inaugural landing at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport in Texas. (Associated Press)
Qantas is putting the world's biggest passenger plane on the world's longest airline route.
A Qantas Airbus A380 touched down on Monday at the Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport, about 15 hours after leaving Sydney, Australia, on the 8,578-mile (13,805-kilometer) journey.
The double-deck, four-engine jet was greeted with a water-cannon salute, then taxied to a gate that was configured just for the behemoth.
There were 484 passengers on the inaugural flight, according to a Qantas spokesman.
DFW, a large airport with connecting flights throughout the U.S. and Latin America, is an ideal place for the plane and the route.
The A380's size limits its appeal. Smaller planes such as Boeing's latest, the 787 or Dreamliner, are more economical on many routes.
Qantas has previously flown the route with other aircraft.