It’s a move reminiscent of the riverboat or international waters cruise ship gambling, but in a 21st century move, Asian entrepreneurs are looking at the possibility of a high flying casino aboard the world's biggest commercial airliner.

The European aircraft maker, Airbus, said it has been approached by unidentified potential Asian buyers looking to turn its giant A380 into a flying casino. The aircraft certainly has the range and sufficient space for a compact but action-packed enterprise. The Airbus A380 is a double-deck, four-engine giant and the largest passenger airliner in the world.  The prototype made its maiden flight on 27 April 2005 from Toulouse, France, and the first commercial flight by Singapore Airlines took place in October 2007 from Singapore to Sydney.

With a carrying capability up to a maximum of 853 passengers, the A380 has already earned the nickname Superjumbo - a reference to its 50 percent more floor space than the previous record holder, the venerable and ubiquitous Boeing 747 jumbo jet.

With regard to gambling, Francois Chazelle, the head of Executive and Private Aviation at Airbus said: “The idea of a flying casino has been mentioned before but it's now looking a lot more concrete. This is clearly a growing business in Asia and what this interest reflects is what is happening in Macau and Singapore."

The possibilities for airborne gambling have ample time for the lawyers to unravel the legal challenges that such a cross-border enterprise might involve. According to Chazelle, the idea of providing a dedicated A380 for casino operations is not a short term project. “It could take until 2017 before the first airborne A 380 casino takes off.”

Posted on: March 6, 2008

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