Employees of Airbus are to become the first passengers in the company's A380 superjumbo jet next week when a series of new trials begin.

Nearly 2,000 employees have volunteered to take part in flights of between 7 and 14 hours to test the cabin of the A380, which is the biggest passenger aircraft in the world and is to be delivered to the first customer in December.

The flights, from Sept. 4 to 8 from the Toulouse-Blagnac airport in southwest France, will allow the employees to try out the seats, air conditioning, meals and toilets in first, business and economy classes.

The first delivery of the A380 is to be made in December to Singapore Airlines, six months behind schedule. Production problems have delayed the introduction of the giant airliner, with further delays to deliveries expected after December.