British Airways is considering a proposal to have its first Airbus A380 participate in the upcoming Paris air show.
Three of the flag-carrier's A380s have been flown to the Airbus facility at Hamburg Finkenwerder - the latest on 25 March - to be finished and painted in the airline's livery.
BA is due to take delivery of its first Rolls-Royce Trent 900-powered aircraft in July, a month after the Paris show which begins on 17 June.
One of Korean Air's A380s was recruited as a stand-in demonstrator during the last Paris Air Show in 2011, after the regular Airbus test aircraft was slightly damaged in a taxiing accident.
The display flight proved popular and Airbus subsequently showed off a Malaysia Airlines A380 at last year's Farnborough event.
BA says it has received a similar proposition. "We're looking at it," says a source at the carrier familiar with the situation, but adds that the carrier has yet to make a final decision.
Once delivered, the BA aircraft - configured with 469 seats - will be deployed on short-haul routes for training. The carrier has already disclosed that Los Angeles and Hong Kong will be among the first long-haul destinations for the jet, with A380 services starting to these cities in October-November.
Source: Air Transport Intelligence news
