It’s a strange feeling walking into an airport, past check-in and through security - only to end up going nowhere except back home again an hour or so later.

But that’s exactly what I did last week at Heathrow. It was worth it though because I was there for a whistle-stop tour of the Airbus A380 superjumbo: an aircraft that is awe-inspiring on every level.

Take a look at pictures of the inside of the Airbus A380

This double-decked engineering marvel is immense. As it rolls around the corner of Terminal 3, the tailfin dwarfs even a 747 jumbo. In fact, the A380 is currently the largest civil aircraft in history and has a staggering maximum take-off capability of 560 tonnes.

Rather roomy
The cavernous interior has no less than three decks, two for passengers and one for baggage. That’s enough space, trivia fans, to hold 35 million ping-pong balls. The twin passenger decks make up an area which is the same as three tennis courts. And, get this, during take-off the wings flex upwards by over four metres.

When we arrive, the plane is almost eerily silent with hardly anyone about save for the odd chap in a high visibility jacket. Time is actually quite tight as the aircraft stays here for only an hour or so before it leaves Heathrow for the return journey to Singapore.

On boarding the plane, I’m led first to the cockpit. Needless to say, the flight deck is awesome although not exactly spacious for such a large aircraft. My visit to this section is cut short when the captain turns up, so we make room for him and head back to see what I’ve really come here for, the amazing passenger accommodation and in-flight gadgetry.

Spacious experience
The A380 is designed to accommodate 525 passengers in a three-class configuration but the Singapore Airlines version seats 471, meaning a rather more spacious experience for everyone.

Throughout the aircraft is a bespoke in-flight entertainment system called KrisWorld, which enables you to access movies, TV shows and hundreds of music albums on demand. While those in Business Class get a 15.4-inch LCD screen on which to access all this, even economy passengers get a 10.6-inch seat-back screen, as well as a wired remote packing a QWERTY keyboard.

You can use that to work with the Office-style software included in the system, and there’s even a USB slot so you can plug in a storage device. Each seat also has its own power supply.

Luxury travel
While all classes (including economy) enjoy sumptuous soft furnishings designed by Givenchy, it’s the Singapore Airlines Suites Class that provides the real icing on the cake. Setting foot into one of these suites reminds me of sitting in your own private railway carriage. Each comes with sliding doors and roller-blinds to keep out prying eyes. It’s a regular home from home.

The luxurious leather chair is fully adjustable via an electronic control panel, but each suite also has a standalone full-sized bed. There are oodles of other toys to play with in here, but it’s the in-flight entertainment system that proves most tantalising.

Each suite has a mighty 23-inch LCD screen plus a remote control with a bright screen above the main menu controls on one side and a QWERTY keyboard on the other.
You wouldn’t want to write a book using this keyboard, but those USB slots mean a full-size version can be plugged in instead.

Further options
Alongside that there are network connectors and video-in sockets meaning a laptop or DVD player can be hooked up too. I’m soon navigating my way around the system with ease, even finding time for a quick round of golf picked from the array of games on offer.

Passengers also get a pair of high-end, noise-cancelling Bose headphones in their own presentation case to ensure the audio standard matches the superb pictures on the LCD screen. I can’t help wondering how many of these go missing when passengers reach their destination. They’re rather better than the plastic headsets normally handed out in cattle class.

While I’m aboard, I also get to see the business end of this incredible system. My guide takes me upstairs and we squeeze through a small door and onto a platform deep inside the aircraft. Housed inside here are all the in-flight systems and servers along with sections of a wiring loom that looks long enough to reach the Moon and back. It’s an awe-inspiring sight.

Imposing
Before I know it, the crew are in place and it’s time for the passengers to start boarding. We edge past them and head down some flimsy steps to the apron for a quick look from the ground up. From the tarmac, the A380 seems even more imposing. Everything about this aircraft is big, including the 22-wheel landing gear. Changing just one tyre will cost an airline over £40,000.

The four massive Rolls-Royce engines are also eye-poppingly impressive. They boast 116-inch titanium fan blades produced in a laboratory to avoid the risk of imperfections and suck in over one and a quarter tons of air every second. That means it would take two seconds for one engine to inflate a hot air balloon, while heat generated in the engine can reach half the temperature of the surface of the sun.

Oddly enough though, the Airbus A380 is surprisingly quiet and, as it rolls down the runway bound for Singapore, it’s burning less fuel and producing lower emissions than anything else in the air. In short, it’s a truly amazing machine.