China Southern Airlines grounded its first Airbus A380 superjumbo on Saturday due to an unspecified mechanical fault, the company said in a statement.

The airliner was scheduled to fly from Beijing to Shanghai, but was grounded due to the fault and an Airbus A330 flew the route instead, the statement posted on the airline website said.

"We need to transport air materials from abroad (to fix the problem)," the statement said, without specifying the nature of the mechanical failure.

"We are deeply sorry for the inconveniences brought to passengers," it said. "The safety of passengers is always our top priority. We will fix the problem and resume the normal operation of A380 as soon as possible."

China Southern took delivery of the A380 on October 15 and the plane was used on its Beijing-Guangzhou route from October 17 to 26, Xinhua news agency said.

The plane was the first A380 to be delivered to China.

The double-deck A380 is the world's largest passenger jet, with capacity for up to 853 passengers and entered into service in 2007.