British Airways A380 Ready For LAX

The Fourth of July may be a holiday in the U.S., but the more than 20,000 staff members of London-based British Airways may be clamoring to work that day at Heathrow. That's when the airline’s newest jumbo aircraft, the first of its 12 Airbus 380s, will arrive at London's Heathrow from the factory in Toulouse, France, to begin preparations for commercial service between LAX and London, starting in mid-October. Here are photos from the paint bay and of the interiors at the Airbus facility in Hamburg, Germany. The craft returns to Toulouse for final testing before being delivered to BA in London. And that date? Coincidence, BA said. " It was the first date Airbus said delivery would be possible and British Airways agreed in order to stay on track for its commercial launch to Los Angeles,” said Michele Kropf, a spokeswoman for British Airways.