MOVES towards building what has been described as a cruise ship in the sky have taken a step forward.

The new superjet being designed by Airbus Industrie will boast features normally reserved for vessels that ply the high seas rather than the air.

Airbus has not yet decided to build the plane - which would be the largest passenger jet in the sky - but a top company executive has announced that 600 people are working on plans for the £6 billion project.

British Aerospace owns a 20 per cent stake in Airbus and its Samlesbury factory makes components for many of its aircraft.

The A-3XX, which does not yet have a complete name, would have an upper deck running from its cockpit to its tail, allowing it to seat from 550 to 650 passengers. That's up to 200 more than the Boeing 747, now the largest commercial plane in the sky.

The two storeys would open up a range of possibilities not fully enjoyed in commercial aircraft, including the installation of a gym, shops and sleeping berths. Those amenities would be important distractions on the plane's target routes, long-haul trips across the Pacific Ocean and throughout Asia.

"Airline productivity jumped in 1970 with the arrival of the Boeing 747 - more than twice the size of its predecessor," said Jack Schofield, chairman of Airbus Industrie of North America.

"The time has now come for a new, larger plane to pick up the pace of progress," he said.

Airbus's chief rival, Boeing, considers the A-3XX a potential white elephant, costly enough to sink a company.

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