Using GTL (or gas-to-liquids) fuel, the A380 took off from the British city of Filton for a three-hour journey to the southern French city of Toulouse, where Airbus has its headquarters.

The A380 was propelled by Rolls Royce Trent 900 engines, while Shell International Petroleum provided the GTL jet fuel.

The tests are running in parallel to an agreement signed in November 2007 with a consortium including Qatar Airways, Qatar Petroleum, Rolls Royce and Shell "to research the potential benefits" of GTL fuel, Airbus said in a statement.

"Fuel and energy are key challenges aviation is facing and for which technology and international research collaboration open up new horizons," Airbus head Tom Enders said.

"This takes bold cross-industry and cross-border collaboration and that's what we are showing today with our groundbreaking first test flight with alternative fuels."