World's largest passenger plane unveiled

Emirates has found a way to fit 98 extra seats into its new Airbus A380-800 planes: by doing away with first class.

The Airbus 380 is already the world’s largest passenger plane. But with no first class seats, a smaller business class and an extra 130 seats in economy, Emirates has managed to fit in even more passengers without losing any legroom in cattle class.

Emirates has found a way to fit 98 extra seats into its new Airbus A380-800 planes: by doing away with first class.

The Airbus 380 is already the world’s largest passenger plane. But with no first class seats, a smaller business class and an extra 130 seats in economy, Emirates has managed to fit in even more passengers without losing any legroom in cattle class.

The two-class plane now has 58 seats with flatscreen TVs that recline into bed in business class, and 557 economy class seats. There is also an onboard lounge.

Airlines have been competing with ways to fit more seats into passenger planes by patenting ever more inventive seating arrangements.

In October, it emerged that Airbus had patented a mezzanine-style arrangement where some passengers were on top of others.

In July, a French manufacturer patented hexagonal arrangement,

where passengers in the middle seats faced the other way.