When will “superjumbo” wide-body planes fly into the Daniel K. Inouye International Airport? When turtles fly.

All Nippon Airways brought the state’s largest airport one step closer to accommodating the world’s largest passenger airliner with the completion of the first of two test flights of its colorful A380 “Flying Honu” Wednesday. The blue aircraft was painted to look like a giant, friendly turtle.

The Flying Honu will help ANA reach its 2020 goal of doubling its capacity between Honolulu and Tokyo’s Narita International Airport. ANA currently offers three daily flights linking Honolulu and Tokyo on its Boeing 787 aircraft, which carry 200 to 250 passengers. Come May 24 the carrier plans to add wide-body aircraft service four times weekly on its A380 aircraft, which will seat approximately 520 passengers. In July, ANA will add a second A380 to the Hawaii market and a third in July 2020.

The main goal of the test flight was to ensure that the gigantic aircraft could hook up to the three passenger-loading bridges attached to two new Honolulu airport gates that were built for it.

“After a successful test flight, we are more excited than ever to serve Honolulu with our A380 Flying Honu service,” said Hiroshi Shibata, ANA Hawaii general manager in a statement. “This aircraft not only offers a unique in-flight experience, but represents ANA’s commitment to sustainability, and most importantly, Hawaii’s commu­nities.”

Just how committed is ANA into Hawaii’s market? Enough to invest hundreds of millions. Carriers rarely pay full price for planes; however, the list cost for just one A380 in 2018 was $445.6 million. It’s a big price for a big plane. The A380 is approximately the length of a 20-story building.

The carrier also has spent $5 million to ensure that its passengers also get to unwind in the state’s biggest airport lounge.

Why the bodacious investment? The novelty of the A380s and the volume that they add to the Hawaii market could help ANA secure more traction from a market traditionally dominated by Japan Airlines, Hawaiian Airlines and Delta.

ANA’s seat expansion in Hawaii is unlikely to bump Japan Airlines and Hawaiian Airlines from their place of dominance, said Brad DiFiore, managing director of Atlanta-based Ailevon Pacific Aviation Consulting. But it’ll certainly pass Delta, DiFiore said.

“Delta will respond to the market and if things stay successful will maintain their current traffic and revenue. It’s a fluid business, ” he said. “This is a very important market for carriers. ANA’s investment into Hawaii with the A380s certainly provides an idea of just how important that this market is to them.”

When Airbus developed the A380 it was touted as a more economical choice for aviation companies because the large planes lowered the unit cost per seat to operate. It also was seen as the solution for carriers that wanted to add volume to large cities that had run out of gate space.

>> View more photos from the A380’s arrival in our gallery.

But modern technology has made smaller planes, like the 250-to-300-seat A350 or the 314-to-396 seat 777, more efficient. The smaller jets have proven to be easier to fill, and they offer even lower unit costs than the A380.

Airbus announced in February that it will halt production of the A380 in 2021.

Still, some customers enjoy the comfort of the roomier double-decker A380.

“It’s a fantastic ride. It’s a great airplane from a customer perspective. It’s got the widest seats and the most space not taken up by seats,” DiFiore said. “Customers also will ride it for the coolness factor. There aren’t that many of these planes and there won’t be many more.”

Hawaii is bullish on becoming the 11th U.S. airport equipped for the wide-body aircraft. Ross Higashi, deputy director of the Airports Division for the state Department of Transportation, said the state made $13 million in airport improvements so that A380 service could commence in Honolulu. By 2020, ANA’s new service is expected to bring the state an additional $285 million in economic impact and some $30 million in tax revenue, Higashi said.

Hiroyuki “Keith” Kitagawa, JTB Hawaii president and CEO, said a benefit of the A380 is that it will revitalize the Japan travel market, which “depends on providing more air seats and more flight options to experience Hawaii.”

“This new aircraft will give Japan travelers more incentive to book trips and discover the beauty and serenity of the Hawaiian Islands,” Kitagawa said.

There also is a possibility that the state’s investment could cause other carriers to consider flying A380s here, he said.

“There were some airlines that did inquire. It’s not solidified at this time,” Highashi said.

DiFiore said Korean Air, which flies Hawaii’s next largest plane, the 368-seat 747-8i, also flies A380s in other markets. Two other carriers that do business in Hawaii, Qantas Airways and Asiana Airlines, also fly A380s elsewhere, he said.