Airbus A380 has Landed at London's Heathrow Airport for first time today,enthusiasts thronged the perimeter to catch a glimpse of this mighty aircraft as it came into land at Heathrow for the very first time. Airbus SAS'S A380, which weighs as much as four adult blue whales, today flew over the U.K. capital for its first test landing at London's Heathrow Airport.
The 555-seat A380, which will be the world's largest passenger airplane when it enters service later this year, arrived from a flight from the Berlin Air Show, BAA Plc's Heathrow said in a statement.
Heathrow spent 105 million pounds ($198 million) extending the airport's Terminal 3 to handle the A380. Airbus, the world's largest maker of commercial aircraft, has spent $13 billion so far developing the aircraft that will top Boeing Co.'s 747 in size.
The A380 will increase the number of passengers that each precious runway slot can deliver, Tony Douglas, managing director of Heathrow, told a meeting of analysts on May 16.
More than 20 airports, including Fraport AG's Frankfurt, Singapore's Changi, Sydney airport and Berlin's Schoenefeld, have received the A380 since the airplane made its first test flight in April last year.
Dubai International Airport will be the biggest base for the airplane. Emirates, the largest Arab airline, ordered 43 of the A380s. Frankfurt airport will be the second because Deutsche Lufthansa AG agreed to buy 15 of the aircraft.
Heathrow will be the base for six A380s ordered by Virgin Atlantic Airways Ltd. British Airways Plc, the biggest airline at Heathrow, hasn't purchased the airplane. British Airways has 57 Boeing 747s in its fleet.
I got up at four o'clock to come and see this,'' said Robert Barlex, director of the International Association of Aviation History who traveled today from his home in Southend, England land to Heathrow. It is a big event in the history of the airport and I just want to see the sheer bulk of it.
The extension to Terminal 3, known as Pier 6, will have four stands designed for the A380. The stands are specially made for the airplane because it has passenger entrances at two different heights.
Airbus, which is 80 percent owned by European Aeronautic, Defence & Space Co. and 20 percent by BAE Systems Plc, has won 159 orders for the A380 from 16 customers including Singapore Airlines Ltd., Thai Airways International Pcl and Qantas Airways Ltd.
The A380 has a wing span of 80 meters (262 feet) and will weigh as much as 569 metric tons when fully loaded. Boeing's 747 has a maximum weight of 397 tons.
The extension for the A380 at Heathrow, which is about 25 miles southwest of Trafalgar Square and first developed as an airfield during World War I, will contain a first-class lounge, a coffee shop and two retail outlets.
The construction of stands and the extension comes on top of a 4.2 billion-pound fifth terminal at Heathrow, which is scheduled to open in March 2008 and lift capacity to 85 million passengers.
The airport's two runways handle more air traffic movements, or landing and takeoffs, than Frankfurt airport's three runways and the four runways at Paris's Charles de Gaulle. Heathrow had 469,700 air traffic movements in 2004 compared with 469,200 at Frankfurt.
BAA's expansion of Heathrow has drawn criticism from local residents, who are also skeptical about Airbus's claim that the A380 is a quieter airplane than Boeing's 747.
By any stretch of the imagination, it won't be a quiet airplane, said John Stewart, chairman of HACAN ClearSkies, whose 10,000 members lobby against the growth of Heathrow. Because it's so big it may actually be more intrusive.''
The 555-seat A380, which will be the world's largest passenger airplane when it enters service later this year, arrived from a flight from the Berlin Air Show, BAA Plc's Heathrow said in a statement.
Heathrow spent 105 million pounds ($198 million) extending the airport's Terminal 3 to handle the A380. Airbus, the world's largest maker of commercial aircraft, has spent $13 billion so far developing the aircraft that will top Boeing Co.'s 747 in size.
The A380 will increase the number of passengers that each precious runway slot can deliver, Tony Douglas, managing director of Heathrow, told a meeting of analysts on May 16.
More than 20 airports, including Fraport AG's Frankfurt, Singapore's Changi, Sydney airport and Berlin's Schoenefeld, have received the A380 since the airplane made its first test flight in April last year.
Dubai International Airport will be the biggest base for the airplane. Emirates, the largest Arab airline, ordered 43 of the A380s. Frankfurt airport will be the second because Deutsche Lufthansa AG agreed to buy 15 of the aircraft.
Heathrow will be the base for six A380s ordered by Virgin Atlantic Airways Ltd. British Airways Plc, the biggest airline at Heathrow, hasn't purchased the airplane. British Airways has 57 Boeing 747s in its fleet.
I got up at four o'clock to come and see this,'' said Robert Barlex, director of the International Association of Aviation History who traveled today from his home in Southend, England land to Heathrow. It is a big event in the history of the airport and I just want to see the sheer bulk of it.
The extension to Terminal 3, known as Pier 6, will have four stands designed for the A380. The stands are specially made for the airplane because it has passenger entrances at two different heights.
Airbus, which is 80 percent owned by European Aeronautic, Defence & Space Co. and 20 percent by BAE Systems Plc, has won 159 orders for the A380 from 16 customers including Singapore Airlines Ltd., Thai Airways International Pcl and Qantas Airways Ltd.
The A380 has a wing span of 80 meters (262 feet) and will weigh as much as 569 metric tons when fully loaded. Boeing's 747 has a maximum weight of 397 tons.
The extension for the A380 at Heathrow, which is about 25 miles southwest of Trafalgar Square and first developed as an airfield during World War I, will contain a first-class lounge, a coffee shop and two retail outlets.
The construction of stands and the extension comes on top of a 4.2 billion-pound fifth terminal at Heathrow, which is scheduled to open in March 2008 and lift capacity to 85 million passengers.
The airport's two runways handle more air traffic movements, or landing and takeoffs, than Frankfurt airport's three runways and the four runways at Paris's Charles de Gaulle. Heathrow had 469,700 air traffic movements in 2004 compared with 469,200 at Frankfurt.
BAA's expansion of Heathrow has drawn criticism from local residents, who are also skeptical about Airbus's claim that the A380 is a quieter airplane than Boeing's 747.
By any stretch of the imagination, it won't be a quiet airplane, said John Stewart, chairman of HACAN ClearSkies, whose 10,000 members lobby against the growth of Heathrow. Because it's so big it may actually be more intrusive.''