The Airbus A380 has hit an airport hangar in Bangkok, forcing the world's largest passenger jet to delay its takeoff today on a demonstration tour.

The bump caused slight damage to the left wing of the double-decker plane, an Airbus official said.

The A380 arrived in Bangkok yesterday on the first leg of its four-city Asian tour, and was to make a round trip from Bangkok to Thailand's northern tourist hub, Chiang Mai, early today.

The bump forced the plane to delay its departure for several hours, the official said, adding that the accident happened because of miscommunication between pilots and ground staff.

The super jumbo will fly to Hanoi tomorrow and will be a showcase of Asia's largest air show in Hong Kong as it is expected to fly across the city's famous Victoria harbour on Monday.

The A380 will then arrive on Wednesday in Seoul, the last stop of the Airbus promotional tour.

Singapore Airlines is set to become the first company to fly the A380 on October 25 with a journey from Singapore to Sydney - its first commercial flight.

An online auction for that trip is under way with bidders offering thousands of dollars for coveted seats on the super jumbo.

AFP  September 1, 2007 - 3:03PM