Airbus A380, the world's largest airliner, made its final stop in Vancouver after a globe-spanning test flight, with company executives saying it performed with flying colors.

The company now expects to obtain European and US safety clearance for commercial operation next month.

Just before dawn the A380, which had stopped in Johannesburg and Sydney, descended over the Pacific Ocean and landed at snow-blanketed Vancouver International Airport in a blaze of lights.

The aircraft - fitted inside and out to run experiments and dubbed MSN2 by Airbus - was parked throughout the day at the southern edge of the airport, where its massive bulk and distinctive gull-shaped wings dwarfed the other aircraft.

Snow and freezing temperatures are highly unusual for Canada's west coast even in winter but the new plane had no problem said test pilot Frank Chapman.

The test flight, which included Hong Kong, was the last for the A380 in Airbus's application process for an international air safety certificate. It all went smoothly, said Corrin Higgs, product marketing manager for the A380 program. "It's been one of the most successful flight-test programs in the history of Airbus."

But the A380 program has been plagued with production delays that cost it an order this month from FedEx. Deliveries are now two years behind schedule because of electrical cabling problems.

Airbus has sold the double-decker plane to 15 airlines, with Singapore Airlines expected to take delivery of the first production model in October 2007.

Its base price is US$300 million (HK$2.34 billion). While it can carry 800 passengers in an economy-seating configuration, most airlines are expected to order seating for fewer than 550 to offer a mix of first-class, business-class and economy-class seating.

Higgs said Airbus chose Vancouver for its only landing in North America as it is convenient on a round-the-world trip and because of US immigration restrictions that make it more difficult for Airbus crews to land on American soil.

About 80 people were on the test flight, though many seats had high-tech mannequins to check air flow, temperature and noise.

The round-the-world test was designed to measure "1,000 different parameters," said Higgs.

Parent European Aeronautic Defence and Space company has said the delays mean it will now have to sell 420 of the superjumbos to break even, instead of 270 as previously announced.