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Air Austral, which links islands in the Indian and Pacific Ocean with France, became the first airline to order the Airbus SAS A380 super-jumbo in an 840- passenger configuration for budget class trips to Paris.

The airline has ordered two of the world’s largest passenger plane, with an option for two more, Airbus Chief Operating Officer John Leahy said at the Dubai Air Show today. The first of the double-deck aircraft enters service in 2014.

“It is a lot of seats,” said Zafar Khan, an analyst at SG Securities in London. “The question is if there is enough density on the route to fill the aircraft.”

An all-economy setup contrasts with configurations on models used by Singapore Airlines Ltd., which offers individual suites for first-class passengers, and Air France KLM Group that’s fitted its A380 with lounge areas. The aircraft will more than double the number of passengers Air Austral now flies using Boeing extended-range 777 jets.

The A380 is certified to carry a maximum of 873 people, including 20 crew, while a standard three-class layout would seat 525. That compares with more than 550 on some flights on Boeing Co.’s 747 jumbo, previously the world’s largest passenger jet. The A380’s maximum passenger load is equivalent to a mid- sized cruise ship or about 10 double-decker London buses.

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Reunion, an island in the western Indian Ocean southwest of Mauritius, is an overseas department of France and uses the euro as legal tender. Other destinations of Air Austral, started in 1975 as Réunion Air Service, include the islands of Mayotte, New-Caledonia, Australia and South Africa.

The A380 aircraft is operated by four airlines to date, and Airbus has orders for 202 A380s from 17 clients, including one private customer, Saudi billionaire Prince Alwaleed bin Talal.

The efficiency benefit over other large aircraft will rise to about 30 percent under the maximum capacity, in terms of cost and fuel used, Airbus spokesman Stefan Schaffrath said. The other airlines using the jet so far have used some of the extra space to fit the A380 with custom seats and mood lighting.

Customizing the A380 for carriers is “a big challenge,” Airbus Chief Executive Officer Thomas Enders said Oct. 30. Airbus parent European Aeronautics, Defense and Space Co. said yesterday that the A380 program remains “a matter of concern” as production lags behind target and the company struggles to maintain delivery schedules.

Airbus has delivered just seven A380s this year, compared with its target of 13, and some jets slated for late this year will slip into early 2010, EADS said yesterday. The company aims to deliver 20 A380 next year. Air France, which received the jet last month, will use the A380 between Paris and New York.

Air Austral’s A380s will be powered by Engine Alliance, a venture between General Electric Co. and Pratt & Whitney. The airline is jettisoning its Club Austral business class, where clients on the 11-hour flight from Reunion to Paris enjoy a complimentary glass of champagne and extra leg space.

“We’ll enter a new era in terms of economic air travel,” Air Austral President Gerard Etheve said. “The A380 is great for high-density routes. We handle 550 people at the airports at the moment. Handling another 200 is not going to be difficult.”

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