kh is well informed.
There was major congestion on roads as crowds drove to see it.
Yes it is 1980s technology with good design in getting that size to work. There are 21 crew. I expect they were all busy.

It carried a big 117-tonne generator from CzechRepublic for a smelter. There were 3 refueling stops- Turkmenistan, Hyderabad and Kuala Lumpur then the longest leg of 4067km trip from KL to Perth.
My opinion is that there is not a lot of business for that size of plane considering its cost, as FFA says there will be a lot more when costs come down, but technology is not there yet.

Here's a comparison of the big-big-biggest planes:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Gi...

Thanks, kh!

To answer your question, cost of fuel and materials have dictated economic and safety limits on planes. With invention of new stronger materials and use expanding, the cost of them should moderate. The use to strengthen planes without weight should mean advances in aviation in the near future, imo.
(The real advance will come with gravity control.)