Tony Blair was present in Toulouse yesterday at the unveiling of the Airbus 380, the giant airliner that is Europe’s biggest collaborative project.

The prime minister, who was joined by his French, German and Spanish counterparts, welcomed British involvement in the project, saying: "This shows that we can compete in the global market . . . it is British industry at its best."

Blair also welcomed the news that Virgin Atlantic is promising to install private double bedrooms and casinos in its A380s with the airline saying "there are maybe two ways of getting lucky on Virgin planes".

When the prime minister visited the Virgin stand after the show he was interested in this development. "Double beds? Now you’re talking," he said to Sir Richard Branson.