LONDON -- Britain moved to seal its role in a new European A3XX super-jumbo plane Monday with a pounds 530 million ($837 million) government investment in the project to secure work for BAE Systems.


The package will allow the four-nation Airbus consortium to begin work on the 555-seat plane, while creating 22,000 direct and indirect jobs in Britain, the Trade and Industry Department said in a statement.


The giant jet will have a wingspan of 80 meters and three decks, with space for such amenities as restaurants, lounges and a gymnasium on the bottom deck.