LOS ANGELES, Jan. 19 (Xinhuanet) -- Qantas Airways said Wednesday it plans to offer flights on new Airbus A380, the world's largest commercial airliner, between Los Angeles and Australia.

    The 12,700 km flight between Los Angeles, the US, and Melbourne,Australia, will be the longest 500-passenger-flight service in the world, the Australian airline said.

    Qantas said it has ordered 12 A380 aircraft with options for 10more, with the first aircraft being delivered in October 2006.

    The 280 million dollar plane, just unveiled by the Airbus, can carry as many as 800 people, will be configured for 555 people at most of the time.

    Qantas plans to deploy its first four Airbus A380 aircraft -- seating 501 passengers - on flights between the United States and Australia, including Los Angeles and Melbourne and Los Angeles and Sydney, Australia.

    "No aircraft in the history of commercial aviation has been able to carry as many passengers over such a distance on regular scheduled services," said Qantas CEO Geoff Dixon. "To put it simply,the A380 will enable Qantas to carry more people, further, than ever before."

    The Los Angeles International Airport is planning to spend 53 million US dollars to widen taxiways, strengthen a highway tunnel and make other changes to accommodate increasing passengers, including those of the Airbus A380 flights. Enditem