The Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) has given the go-ahead for the Airbus A380 aircraft to be operated in China.

It presented a "validation type certificate" for the A380 to Airbus in a ceremony in Beijing today.

"The A380 has received the validation type certificate, which is a symbol of its airworthiness in China. This will pave the way for Chinese carriers to operate the aircraft," says CAAC.

China Southern Airlines is the only Chinese carrier to have ordered the A380. It expects to receive the first of its five A380s in 2011, says the CAAC.

Source: Air Transport Intelligence news