In July of this year, British Airways signed a contract during a ceremony in Toulouse, France, ordering 12 Airbus A380 jumbojets, to in part replace the previously used Boeing 747 model.

The incentives behind such a change are numerous. First of all, in terms of reasons related to cost, British Airways estimates that the change will save them 100M £ (approx. 166M CAD and 161M USD) during these aircrafts’ liftetimes.

Furthermore, the use of such planes would have positive outcomes on national employment in the United Kingdom where part of the supply chain would be drafted. Indeed, 40% of the production would be undertaken in the UK and the Rolls-Royce Trent-900 engines would be manufactured in Derby, England.

Finally, the A380 is a very silent airplane, compared to the Boeing 747. this would imply two things; first, British Airways would be paying less landing taxes at Heathrow for less noise pollution, and secondly; would show business ethics in creating less noise pollution when flying low over densely inhabited areas.

Source: http://www.theguardian.com/business/2013/jul/04/british-airways-airbus-a380-heathrow

Below is a summary video of the signings and inaugural take-off: