Airbus conducts final test flights for its A380 jet

An Airbus A380 jet arrived in the Chinese capital Thursday as part of a series of final test flights intended to lead to the superjumbo model’s air-worthiness certification by the end of the year.

The 555-seat plane landed at Beijing Capital International Airport in the morning and was expected to fly to Shanghai later in the day.

Airbus has received orders for 166 of the superjumbo jets, including five from China Southern Airlines.

Singapore Airlines is slated to be the first carrier to fly the superjumbo after it receives its first A380 in October 2007 -- a year later than originally planned.

Airbus and its owner, European Aeronautic Defense and Space Co., have blamed wiring problems for the holdup.